Papantla () is a city and municipality located in the north of the Mexican state of Veracruz, in the Sierra Papanteca range and on the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonacs and has dominated the Totonacapan region of the state since then. The region is famed for vanilla, which occurs naturally in this region, the Danza de los Voladores and the El Tajín archeological site, which was named a World Heritage Site. Papantla still has strong communities of Totonacs who maintain the culture and language. The city contains a number of large scale murals and sculptures done by native artist Teodoro Cano García, which honor the Totonac culture. The name Papantla is from Nahuatl and most often interpreted to mean "place of the papanes" (a species of crow). This meaning is reflected in the municipality's coat of arms.
Soon after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish quickly realized the value of the vanilla bean, which is native to this area. The Totonac town was refounded as Papantla de Santa María de la Asunción with Spanish families moving in. Soon after, vanilla was being sent to European markets.
One of the most famous people to come from Papantla is artist Teodoro Cano Garcia, who was a disciple of Diego Rivera. During much of the 20th century, this artist worked to promote Papantla's native Totonac heritage. He is responsible for most of the sculptures and other public art works that can be seen in the town today. Some of these include the "Evolution of the Totonac Culture" mural on the side of the main church, the "History of Papantla" mural which is on the side of the Chapel of Cristo Rey and the Monumento del Volador, a giant statue which is on a hill in the center of the city. In 2012, Papantla officially became a Pueblo Mágico.
The city
thumb|Main plaza or park of Papantla
Papantla is the heart of the Totonacapan region. When the Spanish refounded the town, they laid it out in Spanish style with a central plaza surrounded by the most important buildings, such as the main church and the main government building. The Municipal Palace still faces the main plaza, marked by the classic-style pediment over the main entrance. This building contains two murals: one about the Totonacs by Teodoro Cano Garcia and the other by Xolotl Martinez Hurtado de Mendoza. The construction of the building dates from 1810 although it was destroyed by forces associated with Pancho Villa in 1915. The building was reconstructed in 1929, with remodeling done in 1979 and 1999. The plaza is officially named the Israel C. Téllez Park, which contains grass and a number of trees. In this plaza are weekend events such as the Danzón Fridays as well as live music on Saturday and cultural events on Sundays. On the underside of the kiosk is a mural by Teodoro Cano Garcia which depicts the indigenous concept of creation, as a world with four suns. Other museums include the Museos del Totonacapan and the Casa de Cultura's permanent collection of paintings and sculpture.
Like the rest of Mexico, Papantla celebrates Day of the Dead but has some local variations. "Ofrendas" (altars to the dead) can be set up on tables or on board which are suspended from the ceiling. These are decorated with palm fronds, bananas, oranges, limes, anis and chocolate figures. Food stuffs include mole, candy, tamales, local breads and other regional specialties. A glass of water and "renio" (a type of local alcohol) are also placed. This dance or ceremony has been inscribed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
thumb|upright|Headdress for the Dance of the Guaguas
The Dance of the Guaguas (also spelled Huahuas) is mostly performed by Totonacs but also by some groups of Nahuas and Huastecs who live in this area. It is a variant of the Dance of the Quetzales. The dance represents a survival of beliefs based on agricultural and the solar year. One essential element of the dance is the construction of a wooden cross which turns in a vertical position, representing the basis of creation and the genesis of cosmic life. Dancers dress in red pants, which have been elaborately embroidered, white shirts and a decorated cloth that goes across the chest. But the most distinctive apparel is the headdress, which is a large circle of woven ribbons with loose ends hanging around down the back. The dance movements involve the stomping with the boots that dancers wear.
Vanilla
Papantla is the heart of Mexico's vanilla-growing region called Totonacapan, and the spice has been grown and traded here since pre-Hispanic times. According to legend, the Totonacs have lived and grown vanilla since they came to this area after the downfall of Teotihuacan. Initially, the Totonacs gathered vanilla from wild orchids in the forests, but by the late 18th century, they began cultivating it in small plots, incorporating the crop into their traditional agricultural systems. This shift allowed them to increase production and participate in the growing vanilla trade while maintaining their economic autonomy. The system that emerged from these communal land holdings is known as the condueñazgo, where each participant owned a share of the total plot of land and the profit produced therein. By the 19th century, Papantla had become Mexico's leading vanilla-producing region, with much of its crop exported to Europe and later the United States. Unlike many other cash crops, vanilla did not require extensive land clearing or disrupt Totonac subsistence farming, instead providing an important supplementary income that was used for household needs, religious ceremonies, and community obligations.
True vanilla comes from a seed pod of an orchid called Vanilla planifolia. This plant grows as a vine on host trees in this area, though the species ranges as far south as Brazil. The pods are green when harvested, and turn black when dried. In the Totonac language, vanilla is called Xanath and is used to make a liquor which is almost never seen outside of the Papantla area. These people have used vanilla for centuries as a flavoring, a perfume and as medicine. In the early colonial period, the Spanish quickly exported vanilla to Europe and a number of cultivators became wealthy. The name "vanilla" comes from the Spanish "vainilla" which means little seed pod. The growing of vanilla remained a monopoly in Mexico until the French began their vanilla endeavor on the island of Réunion. Here, the technique of hand pollination was developed that allowed the French to continue their cultivation of vanilla, thus giving them access to the vanilla demands of the European continent. Even though French vanilla did become a competitor, Papantla's continued vanilla cultivation ultimately remained constant and never went out of business. The United States was also a major consumer of Papantla's vanilla beans. After surpassing the French in consumption the United States was able to start setting the market prices instead of letting the cultivators in Papantla do that. That led to a dramatic decrease in vanilla prices resulting in strict land reform movements that left many farmers at risk of not making a profit while no longer holding on to their land, as new title owners began creating unfair agreements with the farmers. As vanilla prices dropped, land disputes became more intense. Many Totonac farmers were pushed off communal lands. These tensions led to legal battles and resistance movements, with some indigenous leaders using public land laws to challenge unfair land seizures.
However, vanilla transformed Papantla's economy during the late 19th century, bridging the gap between Spanish, Italian, and mestizo merchants and Totonac farmers, though both groups had different visions for its impact. While local elites saw vanilla as a path to modernization - fueling trade, infrastructure, and economic expansion - Totonac farmers valued it as a means of preserving their independence and traditional milpa-based economy. Despite this growing divergence, Papantla's social structure remained rooted in communal land ownership, with most of the population still relying on subsistence farming. Internal tensions also persisted within the Totonac community over governance, commerce, and taxation, exacerbating existing social divides. The transition from Spanish rule to republican governance further disrupted Papantla's Indigenous institutions, but unlike other regions, local Indigenous communities adapted to these changes rather than resisting them. The city and municipality still has strong communities of Totonacs,