Zempoala

Following the coast road from La Antigua another 10km/6mi past José Cardel, there is a turning to the left which leads to Zempoala or Cempoala (Náhuatl: "Cempoatl" = "20 water") 3km/2mi away. From the 13th c. to the Spanish conquest this was the last capital of the Totonacs. In the second half of the 15th c. the Aztecs conquered the Totonacs and made them tributary. 23 days after his landing in Mexico, on May 15th 1519, Cortés met the Totonac king Chicomacatl, called "Cacique Gordo" (fat king) by the Spanish, in Zempoala. The conquistador succeeded in making allies of the Totonacs, who were hostile towards the Aztecs. The ruins at Zempoala (Cempoala) covers 5sq.km/2sq.mi in all and comprises ten groups of buildings, although today only a few which have been restored can be visited. They date from the last 300 years before the arrival of the Spanish. Certain of the buildings display quite pronounced Aztec stylistic elements. Some of the finds, however, lead to the conclusion that Zempoala was probably already settled in the first millennium ad.