Ancestor Legends: Tajin of the Totonac people

We have all heard the name "Tajin" but... Have you ever wondered what its history is? In the jungles of Totonacapan Veracruz, there lived a very naughty boy, nobody liked him, because he was always fighting with all the inhabitants of that place. His name was Tajin.

If he came across an anthill, he would jump on it out of pure malice; if he came across monkeys, he would throw stones at them; but that's not all, he would also shake the trees and tear off their branches mercilessly. Everyone ran away from him, the ants and monkeys ran to hide when they heard him, -Here comes Tajin, run!

But the trees, unable to move, only exclaimed in terror. -Again Tajin, watch out for the branches! Nobody could stand Tajin's company, because he could never be at peace with any living being, that's why he was always alone.

One day, while Tajin was looking for a place to stay, he met an old man on the road, with a long beard and eyebrows so bushy that they even covered his eyes. -Excuse me, boy, are you from around here," said the man in a slow voice. -No, I'm just looking for a place to stay, I'd like to spend some time here.

-Wonderful! Why don't you come with us? My brothers and I are looking for someone to help us at home, to bring water from the well, to put the beans in the pot, and to make sure the fire doesn't go out. -Who are your brothers," asked Tajín.

-We are the seven thunders, our mission is to climb up to the highest clouds, where we start marching, we stomp on the clouds, and with the help of boots, the rain falls. And to provoke lightning and thunder we use special swords. Tajin, full of curiosity, imagined himself doing pirouettes on the clouds and agreed to go with the old man, promising to do all the tasks that they entrusted to him.

They walked together until they reached a small stone house on top of a large pyramid. When they were in front of the house, six old men with beards and bushy eyebrows came out to greet their brother and asked in chorus. -Who is coming with you, brother?

-A boy I found in the jungle, I offered him to stay with us in exchange for helping us in the house. Filled with dissatisfaction, each one of the thunderers began to protest and speak ill of Tajín without caring that he was present. Tajín, filled with rage at what the elders were saying, thought of throwing stones at them, when at that moment...

-Calm down brothers please, we are always protesting when one of us has to stay at home while the others go up and dance in the clouds, for that reason I brought the boy so that we can all go up while he stays doing the house chores.

The six brothers, satisfied with the seventh elder's speech, agreed to let Tajín stay at home, so they all began to teach him how to sweep, to fetch water from the well, to put the beans in the pot, and to keep the fire alive.

At noon Tajin had already learned all the tasks that the seven thunders entrusted to him, soon some clouds made an appearance and while these darkened the sky little by little, the seven brothers left their house very happy, knowing that Tajin would stay there fulfilling his tasks while the elders went up and danced in the clouds.

The days passed and Tajin became an exemplary helper, however, the boy did not stop fantasizing about the opportunity to climb the clouds, every time he touched the boots used by the seven thunderers to march and stomp, he imagined himself stomping and doing all kinds of pirouettes on them. Until one day, what he dreamed so much came true, because one morning the seven thunders went to Papantla to buy tobacco in the market. -We won't be long," said one of the thunderers as he ruffled his hair.

-We will be back before the end of the day," said another of the thunderers. Then they all left, confident that Tajin would once again take care of their house. But as soon as they left the house, Tajin threw the broom and ran upstairs to look for the clothes that the seven thunders used to wear when they went up to the clouds, once he found the clothes he hurried to get dressed.

When he was ready, he enthusiastically climbed up to the clouds, began to march, and stomp his feet with clumsy and abrupt steps; so much so that he provoked a horrible wind, followed by lightning and thunder so strong that it damaged the jungle. Soon, a storm filled with black clouds had formed, resulting in the darkening of the day.

Everything was a disaster because the rain fell violently and in large quantities, the rivers began to rise, the soaked animals began to tremble with fear and cold, seeking protection in the heights. Halfway to Papantla, the seven elders became aware of the great disaster coming from the skies. They immediately ran back to get their clothes and climb up to see what was happening.

Arriving at their home, and not being able to find their suits, they hurriedly climbed up to the clouds, and although they suffered several falls and slips, they managed to arrive and see that Tajin was the culprit of such a fateful disaster. Tajin carelessly stamped his feet, jumped, made sharp turns, and with his swords caused lightning bolts so strong that they split the trees in two.

Quickly the seven thunderers tried to catch him, however, this was a difficult task, for without their suits, they constantly slipped and every time they cornered him, Tajin found a way to outwit them. Many hours passed before the elders finally managed to catch him; they tied him up and threw him into the sea, making sure he could not return.

Legend has it that Tajin grew up, became stronger, and remembering his aerial adventures, from time to time he comes out of the depths of the sea, climbs the clouds, and stomps on them in a brutal and uncontrolled way, causing great storms, strong winds and sometimes hurricanes.

Source: INPI