El Volador

El Volador is a Totonac village in the municipality of Papantla, on the Totonacapan coastal plain at roughly 80 metres above sea level. The 2020 census counted 2,241 residents, which puts it among the five most populous of Papantla's 429 localities. The name refers to the Voladores ceremony, and the link is more than a label: Totonac is spoken here and the tradition is still practised.

On 4 December 2022 villagers felled, hauled and raised a volador pole (sakatkiwi in Totonac) to found a community school called "Libres de la Costa". About 25 boys and girls aged 7 to 17 rehearse on Sunday mornings to the reed flute and small drum, taught by experienced voladores and backed by the Consejo de Voladores and the Centro de las Artes Indígenas at the Takilhsukut park. They learn the ground dance, the instruments and how to make the costume before they are allowed to fly. A fresh pole was planted on 16 November 2025 to replace the practice pole, which had been in use for almost three years.

The patron fiesta honours the Virgin of the Assumption on 15 August, and the village's Catholic church bears that name; San Judas Tadeo is also celebrated on 28 October. Local cooking includes turkey mole, huatape, sesame enchiladas and tamales wrapped in banana leaf, while village crafts include pottery, embroidery, wooden masks and palm weaving. It is hot for most of the year, averaging about 24 °C, with frequent rain. Most homes have a mobile phone, but fewer than half have internet access.