La Huasteca () is a geographical and cultural region located partially along the Gulf of Mexico and including parts of the states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí. It is roughly defined as the area in which the Huastec people had influence when their civilization was at its height during the Mesoamerican period. Today, the Huastecs occupy only a fraction of this region with the Nahua people now the most numerous indigenous group. However, those who live in the region share a number of cultural traits such as a style of music and dance, along with religious festivals such as Xantolo.
Geography and environment
Historically and ethnically, the Huasteca region is defined by the area dominated by the Huastecs at their height. The actual extension of the region is somewhat disputed as well as how it should be sub-divided. Geographically it has been defined as from the Sierra Madre Oriental to the Gulf of Mexico with the Sierra de Tamaulipas as the north border and the Cazones River as the south. It extends over the south of Tamaulipas, the southeast of San Luis Potosí, the northeast of Querétaro and Hidalgo and the extreme north of Veracruz and Puebla and a very small portion of Guanajuato over an area of about 32,000km2.
To the north and east there are relative flatlands. To the south there are hills of calcified sand. Basalt from old lava flows penetrate the primarily sedimentary rock from the west and appear with wind and water erosion. The higher mountain areas to the west often have tall peaks in capricious forms with steep slopes and eight fast running rivers. Highways in the region tend to be small and winding, especially in the higher elevations in San Luis Potosí and Hidalgo. Most of these rivers eventually empty into either the Pánuco or the Cazones Rivers with the zone belonging to the Pánuco, Tuxpan and Cazones River basins, all of which empty into the Gulf of Mexico. As much of the rock is easily eroded, the mountain areas are filled with caves and other underground openings. The best known of this is the (the 'Cave of Swallows') just north of Xilitla. It is famous for the large number of birds (mostly white-collared swifts and green parakeets, not swallows) that emerge from the opening in the morning. It is also a site for base-jumping down the sink's depth. The birds return en masse again at nightfall. Many of the rivers run clear or turquoise blue in deep ravines or canyons and form waterfalls. The tallest of these is the Tamul, which is 300 meters wide and 105 meters tall. It joins the waters of the Gallinas River with those of the Santa Maria River to form the Tampaon River. Another important waterfall is the Tamasopo and at the (source of the Huichihuayán River) near the village of the same name, the water comes out of the mountains, forming pools large enough for swimming.
It is one of the most bio-diverse regions in Mexico, with over 2,000 species of plants. This diversity also extends into agricultural crops with local corn varieties resistant to drought. This area is mostly dominated by tropical rainforest, some of which is still semi-virgin with a hot humid climate with some areas of pine-holm oak forest in the highest elevations and arid bush and grassland in a few isolated areas. The Veracruz moist forests ecoregion encompasses the lowlands and foothills., accessed 18 Dec 2014 Tropical forests have species such as Ceiba pentandra or other kapok, Mexican cedar, Mexican ebony (Harvardia mexicana, Ebenopsis ebano and species of Diospyros may all be called ), with palm species more common on the coastline. Tall growth perennial rainforest dominates in the states of Hidalgo and Veracruz with medium grown semi deciduous rainforest in San Luis Potosí. It also has a large number of species of algae, more diverse and of different types than those found in other parts of Mexico. It is also rich in wildlife such as parrots, macaws, spider monkeys, owls, eagles, toucans, deer, jaguar, wild boar and raccoons with various species of reptiles and insects.
The Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests ecoregion covers the higher slopes of the Sierra Madre, and includes oak forests and pockets of cloud forest at middle elevations, and pine–oak forests and pine forests at higher elevations. South of the Moctezuma River, the Veracruz montane forests form a continuous belt of montane moist forests and cloud forests at middle elevations of the Sierra.
The main city in the SLP section is Ciudad Valles, founded by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán in 1533. The most important city in the Hidalgo portion is Huejutla. Other important population centers include Tantoyuca, Tamazunchale and Chicontepec.
One section of the Huasteca is called the Sierra Gorda, which is centered on northern Querétaro, but extends into Hidalgo and Guanajuato.
Huasteca veracruzana In the state of Veracruz, it is located towards the north end, from the Cazones River to the Tamesí river. It is subdivided into two regions: Huasteca Alta and Huasteca Baja. Its relief is flat and low hills and its tropical climate. It is irrigated by several rivers and lagoons, among which the Tuxpan River and the Tamiahua Lagoon stand out; the most important city of the Huasteca Veracruzana is the city and port of Tuxpan. One of its most important archaeological sites is the castle of Teayo. The Huasteca Veracruzana is the most extensive in the territory, and famous for the variety of its dishes, which in addition to the traditional throughout the region, such as zacahuil (a large tamale of broken corn) is complemented with fish and seafood typical of coastal Veracruz, the music and sounds together with the costumes are also part of it.
Huasteca queretana The Huasteca queretana is located in the northwest part of the state and is an extension of the San Joaquín areas of Aguazarca. It includes the municipalities of Arroyo Seco, Jalpan and Landa.
Huasteca hidalguense The Huasteca hidalguense comprises the following municipalities: Atlapexco, Huautla, Huazalingo, Huejutla de Reyes, Jaltocán, San Felipe Orizatlán, Xochiatipan and Yahualica.
Huasteca poblana The Huasteca poblana is located to the south of the border zone of the Huasteca, and includes, among others, the municipalities of Francisco Z. Mena, Pantepec, Venustiano Carranza, Jalpan, Tlaxco, Tlacuilotepec, Xicotepec de Juárez, Pahuatlán and Naupan.
Huasteca potosina The eastern quarter of the state of San Luis Potosí is known as the Huasteca potosina. It is constituted by 20 municipalities which are: Aquismon, Axtla de Terrazas, Cd. Valles, Coxcatlan, Ébano, El Naranjo, Huehuetlan, Matlapa, San Antonio, San Martin Chalchicuautla, San Vicente Tancuayalab, Tamasopo, Tamazunchale, Tampacan, Tampamolon, Tamuin, Tancanhuitz de Santos, Tanlajas, Tanquián de Escobedo, Xilitla.
Huasteca tamaulipeca The region, also called the "south coast", borders on the north of Veracruz. It includes the municipalities of Mante, Xicoténcatl, Ocampo, Gómez Farías, Nuevo Morelos, Antiguo Morelos, Aldama, Tampico and Ciudad Madero.
The municipality of Tampico houses a collection of archaeological artifacts from the region in its Museum of Huasteca Culture; the collection includes ceramic pieces, textiles, figures and various objects belonging to the Huastec culture.
Huasteca guanajuatense It is located in the northeast of the state around the municipality of San Luis de la Paz.
Climate The region is relative lowlands with a hot climate at the extreme north of the Mexico's tropical Gulf coast. Most of the region is hot and humid with annual temperatures generally varying between 22 and 26 °C. The three most common Koppen classifications that appear here are Am(f), Am and Am(w). Rainfall is generally abundant due to moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Rainfall amounts vary between 800 and 1600mm per year, depending on altitude and location from the coast. However, the area is subject to drought three out of every ten years, causing problems for local agriculture. Localized hail and hurricanes are an annual occurrence.
History The term Huastec is derived from the Nahuatl name for the ethnicity, Cuextecah. The Huastecs were the northernmost Mesoamerican group on the Gulf coast, and their contact with the Chichimeca led to Aridoamerican influences in their culture.Ochoa, L. p. 42 The pre-Hispanic sculpture of the region is distinct, with well-known pieces such as the "Adolescente de Tamuín" and the goddess of life and health Tlazolteotl. Traditionally crops here have been corn, beans, squash, various chili peppers and tubers such as yucca, camotes and jicamas. However, gathering of wild foods played a more important role here in the Mesoamerican period, especially roots, small chili peppers and a fruit (Brosimum alicastrum) as well as fish from lakes, rivers and ocean. The production of salt was important at Chila Lake.
The Huastecs are probably what remain of Mayan expansion northward up the Veracruz coast but were "left behind" after other Mayan groups retreated south and east. The Huastecs began to be culturally dominant in their region between 750 and 800 CE after El Tajín waned. From then to the 15th century, they expanded their territory and influence from the Tuxpan River to Tamiahua with most settlements along the banks of the Huayalejo-Tamesí River, along the northern Veracruz and southern Tamaulipas coast and west into the Sierra Madre Oriental. The culture was influential even farther west into northern Querétaro, and there may have been Huastec settlements into what is now northern Puebla.Ochoa, L. p. 29-30Ochoa, L. p. 168-169 Notable settlements include El Tamuín in San Luis Potosí, Yahualica and Huejutla in Hidalgo, Tzicóac on the Veracruz/Puebla border as well as Tuxpan, Temapache, Pánuco, and Tanhuijo in Veracruz.Ochoa, L. p. 33
Although the Huastecs built small cities and ceremonial centers, they never reached the size and complexity of others in Mesoamerica.Ochoa, L. p. 31-32 Politically, they remained divided in small chiefdoms. The northern areas were constantly threatened by the Chichimeca, which may be the origin for the traditional “Comanche” dance found in the region. In the postclassic, Huastec territory began to shrink.Ochoa, L. p. 32 In the west and south of their territory, there were enclaves of Nahuas, Tepehuas, Totonacs and Otomis. The Totonacs and Tepehuas in the region probably arrived around the same time as the Huastecs, while the Otomis and Nahuas arrived later. However, the timeline for these migrations is disputed. One Nahua incursion occurs in 800 CE related to Tula and another in the 15th century due to the expansion of the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs conquered from the south and west to an area they called Chicoaque or Tzicoac in 1458, which was probably Mesa de Cacahuatengo in the municipality of Ixhuatlán de Madero.Ochoa, L. p. 190 The Huasteca was rich in resources that interested the Aztecs like rubber, bark cloth, turtle shells, animal skins, feathers and shells.