The only site of this size on the Veracruz coast, El Tajín was probably named ("lightning", "thunder") for its proximity to the capricious ocean. People lived here from the 6C; but the Totonacs, who arrived in the 10C, made this city an important political and spiritual centre, under the reign of the famous ruler 13-Rabbit among others. El Tajín is renowned for its Pyramid of the Niches, its extraordinary South Ballcourt and its monumental decor of geometrical motifs.