View source for Huasteca

{{Short description|Geographical and cultural region of Mexico}}
{{For|rock-climbing area near Monterrey|La Huasteca Climbing Area}}
[[File:Captura de Pantalla 2020-03-11 a la(s) 8.33.27.png|alt=|thumb|300x300px|Map of La Huasteca in [[Mexico]].]]
{{infobox ethnonym|root=Téenek|person=|people=[[Huastec people|Huastec]]|language=[[Huastec language|Huastec]]|country=[[Huasteca]]}}

'''La Huasteca''' is a geographical and cultural region located partially along the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and including parts of the states of [[Tamaulipas]], [[Veracruz]], [[Puebla]], [[Hidalgo (state)|Hidalgo]], [[San Luis Potosí]], [[Querétaro]] and [[Guanajuato]]. 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==
[[File:Tamasopo.jpg|thumb|[[Tamasopo]] waterfall in [[San Luis Potosí]].]]
[[File:SceneryJalpanQRO2.JPG|thumb|Landscape near [[Jalpan de Serra]] in [[Querétaro]].]]

Historically and ethnically, the Huasteca region is defined by the area dominated by the Huastecs at their height.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org.uy/phi/aguaycultura/es/paises/mexico/pueblo-nahuas-de-la-huasteca.html |title=México - Pueblo Nahuas de la Huasteca |work=Agua Cultura |publisher=UNESCO |language=es |trans-title=Mexico – Nahua People of the Huasteca |access-date=March 28, 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="dondese">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/la-huasteca-donde-se-canta-el-huapango-hidalgo.html |title=La Huasteca, donde se canta el huapango (Hidalgo) |author=Georgina Luna Parra |magazine=Mexico Desconocido magazine |location=Mexico City |language=es |trans-title=La Huatesca, where Huapango is sung (Hidalgo) |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="meten">{{cite news |title=Meten a la Huasteca dentro de un museo |author=Omar Garcia |newspaper=Reforma |location=Mexico City |date=June 2, 2004 |page=3 |language=es |trans-title=Fit La Huasteca inside a museum}}</ref>
 
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.<ref name="arqueomex">{{cite web |url=http://www.arqueomex.com/S2N3nHuasteca79.html |title=La Huasteca: historia y cultura |author=Guy Stresser-Péan |publisher=Arqueomex magazine |language=es |trans-title=La Huasteca: History and culture |access-date=March 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229224613/http://www.arqueomex.com/S2N3nDOSIER87.html |archive-date=February 29, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="ligero">{{cite news |title= Viajando Ligero / Aventura en la Huasteca |author=Jim Budd |newspaper=Mural |location=Guadalajara, Mexico |page=2 |language=es |trans-title=Traveling light/Adventure in La Huasteca}}</ref> Highways in the region tend to be small and winding, especially in the higher elevations in San Luis Potosí and Hidalgo.<ref name="ligero"/> Most of these rivers eventually empty into either the [[Panuco River|Pánuco]] or the [[Cazones River]]s 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 {{lang|es|Sótano de las Golondrinas}} (the '[[Cave of Swallows]]') just north of [[Xilitla]]. It is famous for the large number of birds (mostly [[white-collared swift]]s and [[green parakeet]]s, not swallows) that emerge from the opening in the morning. It is also a site for base-jumping down the sink's {{convert|372|m|adj=on}} depth. The birds return en masse again at nightfall.<ref name="ligero"/><ref name="visitjungle">{{cite news |title= Visit the Jungles of La Huasteca |author=Alexis Okeowo |newspaper=Time |date=October 15, 2009 |url= http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,1930353,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091022122145/http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,1930353,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date= October 22, 2009 |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref> 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 (Mexico)|Gallinas River]] with those of the [[Santa Maria River (San Luis Potosi)|Santa Maria River]] to form the [[Tampaon River]].<ref name="secretos">{{cite news |title= Secretos de la Huasteca Potosina |author=Alfredo Martinez |newspaper=El Norte |location=Monterrey, Mexico |date=March 11, 2001 |page=6 |language=es |trans-title=Secrets of the Huasteca in San Luis Potosí}}</ref> Another important waterfall is the Tamasopo and at the {{lang|es|Nacimiento del Río Huichihuayán}} (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.<ref name="visitjungle"/>

It is one of the most bio-diverse regions in Mexico, with over 2,000 species of plants.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="visitjungle"/> This diversity also extends into agricultural crops with local corn varieties resistant to drought.<ref name="unesco"/> 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-[[Quercus agrifolia|holm oak]] forest in the highest elevations and arid bush and grassland in a few isolated areas.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="visitjungle"/> The [[Veracruz moist forests]] ecoregion encompasses the lowlands and foothills.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Veracruz moist forests|id=nt0176}}, accessed 18 Dec 2014</ref> Tropical forests have species such as ''[[Ceiba pentandra]]'' or other [[Ceiba|kapok]], [[Cupressus lusitanica|Mexican cedar]], Mexican ebony (''Harvardia mexicana'', ''[[Ebenopsis ebano]]'' and species of ''[[Diospyros]]'' may all be called {{lang|es|ébano}}),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schoenhals |first1=Louise C. |title=A Spanish-English Glossary of Mexican Flora and Fauna |date=2020 |publisher=Instituto Lingüístico de Verano; [[SIL International]] {{!}} SIL Mexico |location=Oaxaca, México |pages=28, 42, 104, 132 |edition=Second: electronic |url=https://mexico.sil.org/resources/archives/803 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722043828/https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/12/58/34/125834832519779169681232490531577072324/Mexican_Flora_Fauna_%28elec%29.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2022}}</ref> with palm species more common on the coastline.<ref name="dondese"/> 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.<ref name="unesco"/> It is also rich in wildlife such as parrots, [[macaw]]s, [[spider monkey]]s, owls, eagles, [[toucan]]s, deer, [[jaguar]], [[wild boar]] and [[raccoon]]s with various species of reptiles and insects.<ref name="dondese"/><ref name="visitjungle"/>

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 Beltran de Guzmán|Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán]] in 1533.<ref name="ligero"/><ref name="secretos"/> The most important city in the Hidalgo portion is [[Huejutla]].<ref name="dondese"/> Other important population centers include [[Tantoyuca]], [[Tamazunchale]] and Chicontepec.<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

One section of the Huasteca is called the [[Sierra Gorda]], which is centered on northern Querétaro, but extends into Hidalgo and Guanajuato.<ref name="mexdespot">{{cite magazine|url= http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/la-huasteca-potosina-todo-un-universo-cultural.html |title= La Huasteca potosina, todo un universo cultural |author=Jaime Bali |magazine=Mexico Desconocido magazine |location=Mexico City |language=es |trans-title=La Huatesca Potosina, an entire cultural universe |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref>

=== Huasteca veracruzana ===
In the state of [[Veracruz]], it is located towards the north end, from the [[Cazones River]] to the [[Tamesí River|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 (Veracruz)|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 [[Castillo de Teayo (Mesoamerican site)|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 Municipality, Querétaro|San Joaquín]] areas of Aguazarca. It includes the municipalities of [[Arroyo Seco Municipality|Arroyo Seco]], [[Jalpan de Serra|Jalpan]] and [[Landa de Matamoros Municipality|Landa]].

=== Huasteca hidalguense ===
The Huasteca hidalguense comprises the following municipalities: [[Atlapexco]], [[Huautla, Hidalgo|Huautla]], [[Huazalingo]], [[Huejutla de Reyes]], [[Jaltocan|Jaltocán]], [[Orizatlán|San Felipe Orizatlán]], [[Xochiatipan]] and [[Yahualica, Hidalgo|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, Puebla|Pantepec]], [[Venustiano Carranza Municipality, Puebla|Venustiano Carranza]], [[Jalpan, Puebla|Jalpan]], [[Tlaxco Municipality, Puebla|Tlaxco]], [[Tlacuilotepec]], [[Xicotepec de Juárez]], [[Pahuatlán]] and [[Naupan]].

=== Huasteca potosina ===
The Huasteca potosina is constituted by 20 municipalities which are: [[Aquismón|Aquismon]], [[Axtla de Terrazas]], [[Ciudad Valles|Cd. Valles]], [[Coxcatlán, San Luis Potosí|Coxcatlan]], [[Ébano, San Luis Potosí|Ébano]], [[El Naranjo, San Luis Potosi|El Naranjo]], [[Huehuetlán|Huehuetlan]], [[Matlapa]], [[San Antonio, San Luis Potosí|San Antonio]], [[San Martín Chalchicuautla|San Martin Chalchicuautla]], [[San Vicente Tancuayalab]], [[Tamasopo]], [[Tamazunchale]], [[Tampacan]], [[Tampamolón Corona|Tampamolon]], [[Tamuín|Tamuin]], [[Tancanhuitz de Santos]], [[Tanlajás|Tanlajas]], [[Tanquián de Escobedo]], [[Xilitla]].

=== Huasteca tamaulipeca ===
The region, also called the "south coast", borders on the north of Veracruz.

=== 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.<ref name="arqueomex"/> 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.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="cienaños"/>

==History==
Huastec is derived from the Spanish Huasteca which is derived from the [[Nahuatl]] word for the ethnicity Kuextlan.<ref name="unesco"/> The Huastecs were the northernmost Mesoamerican group on the Gulf coast, and their contact with the [[Chichimeca]] led to [[Aridoamerica]]n influences in their culture.<ref name="ligero"/><ref name="lochoa42">Ochoa, L. p. 42</ref> 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]].<ref name="dondese"/> Traditionally crops here have been corn, beans, squash, various chili peppers and tubers such as [[yucca]], [[camote]]s and [[jicama]]s. 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.<ref name="arqueomex"/>{{not in citation given|date=October 2023}}

The Huastecs are probably what remain of [[Maya civilization|Mayan expansion]] northward up the Veracruz coast but were "left behind" after other Mayan groups retreated south and east.<ref name="arqueomex"/>  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 (Veracruz)|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.<ref name="lochoa2930">Ochoa, L. p. 29-30</ref><ref name="lochoa168169">Ochoa, L. p. 168-169</ref> Notable settlements include El Tamuín in San Luis Potosí, Yahualica and Huejutla in Hidalgo, Tzicóaxc on the Veracruz/Puebla border as well as Tuxpan, Temapache, Pánuco, and Tanhuijo in Veracruz.<ref name="lochoa33">Ochoa, L. p. 33</ref>

Although the Huastecs built small cities and ceremonial centers, they never reached the size and complexity of others in Mesoamerica.<ref name="lochoa3132">Ochoa, L. p. 31-32</ref> The northern areas were constantly threatened by the Chichimeca, which may be the origin for the traditional “Comanche” dance found in the region.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="lochoa33"/>  In the Post classic, Huastec territory began to shrink.<ref name="lochoa32">Ochoa, L. p. 32</ref> In the west and south of their territory, there were enclaves of [[Nahua people|Nahuas]], [[Tepehuas]], [[Totonac people|Totonacs]] and [[Otomi people|Otomis]].<ref name="lochoa42"/> The Totonacs and Tepehuas in the region probably arrived around the same time as the Huastecs. The Otomis and Nahuas arrived later but the time line for these migrations is disputed. One Nahua incursion occurs in 800 CE related to [[Tula (Mesoamerican site)|Tula]] and the other due to the expansion of the [[Aztec Empire]].<ref name="unesco"/> The [[Aztec]]s conquered from the south and west to an area they called Chicoaque or Tzicoac in 1458, which was probably the area which is now Mesa de Cacahuatengo in the municipality of [[Ixhuatlán de Madero]].<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="lochoa190">Ochoa, L. p. 190</ref>

The first European contact with the Huasteca region was in 1498, when Italian Amerigo Vespucci, (or some European), sailing along the Tropic of Cancer, landed somewhere north of present-day Soto la Marina, and the Rio Grande river. (The Tropic of Cancer constantly moves South in 522 years).  This explorer enjoyed friendly relations with the Huastecans, and wrote extensively about them. Including the Huastec word for Señores, and art work. His are the only written, eyewitness descriptions known of the civilization.  Spanish conquistadores later explored the Pánuco River area.<ref name="unesco"/> After the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Conquest]], [[Gonzalo de Sandoval]] burned alive about 460 nobles and chiefs in the region and captured about 20,000 natives to sell as slaves in the [[Antilles]].<ref name="unesco"/> The first evangelists in the area were the [[Franciscan order|Franciscans]] around 1530, with the [[Augustinian order|Augustinians]] arriving in 1533, with the first large efforts in [[Pahuatlán]], Puebla and Chicontepec. The area initially was under the Bishopric of Tlaxcala. But evangelization was slow, with period documents indicating that most pagan beliefs had not been extinguished well into the colonial period. One hundred and thirty [[encomienda]]s were created in the region which lasted most of the 16th century and in some cases into the 17th.<ref name="unesco"/> Spanish dominance in the coastal areas depopulated it of most indigenous people, with the Huastecs retreating south from Tamaulipas to Panúco and Tamaulipas and with many dying in the war and from disease.<ref name="lochoa42"/><ref name="lochoa191193">Ochoa, L. p. 191-193</ref> The introduction of cattle into the flat areas prompted the Spanish to force the relocation of many indigenous groups in the area, sometimes with violence.<ref name="huasnahuas">{{cite book |url= http://www.cdi.gob.mx/dmdocuments/nahuas_huasteca.pdf  |title= Nahuas de Huasteca  |author= Julieta Valle Esquivel |publisher= Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígena |year=2003 |isbn=970-753-008-1  |language=es |trans-title=Nahuas of La Huasteca |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref> Not all attempts to relocate indigenous groups were successful. There were notable failures in Hidalgo.  However, its overall success managed to divide the region into new political units. Spanish policies and economic conditions forced many of the natives here to crowd together in certain areas, with Huastecs and Nahuas together in Ozuluama, Tantoyuca, Tamiahua and Tuxpan, and Nahuas and Otomis in Chicontepec and Huejutla. The new political units brought in other indigenous groups not normally part of the Huasteco, such as the [[Pame people|Pames]] in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro.<ref name="unesco"/>

The Spanish then introduced African slaves into the area. While the indigenous populations made something of a comeback in Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí, this did not happen in Veracruz.<ref name="huasnahuas"/> In the later colonial period, most Huastec communities were populated by [[mestizo]]s, especially along the Veracruz and Tamaulipas coast.<ref name="lochoa191193"/> Today, the Huastec ethnicity is found only along a narrow strip extending from far northern Querétaro to far north of Veracruz near Tamiahua.<ref name="lochoa188">Ochoa, L. p. 188</ref>

During the colonial period, the region was divided into five provinces called “alcaldías mayores”: [[Huauchinango]], Huayacocotla-Chichontepec, Pánuco-Tampico, Huejutla and Yahualica.<ref name="unesco"/> In the 19th century, most of the local leaders were chosen by charisma and political skill, rather than by lineage, although elder councils were still important in most indigenous communities. By the beginning of the 19th century, the use of elections to choose leaders began to be used, but with candidates chosen by the elite. The first municipal elections in the region were held in Chicontepec and Ixhuatlan in 1813.<ref name="unesco"/>

From the first taking of land for cattle in the colonial period to the present, land struggles have been an important part of the region's history. In the 18th century, there were various uprisings in the region such as in Ilamatlán in 1750 and Huayacocotla in 1784 in response to higher taxes and takings of land.<ref name="unesco"/> In the mid 17th century, a system of serfdom by debt began that would reach its height in the 19th, involving indigenous, mestizo and negro peoples. During the 17th century however, some peoples were able to take possession of land under a communal scheme, declaring it the property of the Virgin Mary or of a saint to keep landholders and political chiefs from taking it. From the second half of the 17th century to the first half of the 18th, there was a consolidation of haciendas with between 21 and 25 by 1790, about eighty cattle ranches and twenty three indigenous communities. At the end of the 18th century, records indicate that ninety percent of the population was Spanish, mestizo or mixed African descent, mostly in Chicontepec, Huayacocotla, Ixhuatlan and Xochioloco.<ref name="unesco"/> Coffee was introduced to the mountain areas in the 19th century.<ref name="huasnahuas"/> Land and other agrarian conflicts have continued to the present day with local elections based on land use issues.(focus) The discovery of oil in northern Veracruz has led to an area called the Faja de Oro (Gold belt) extending from Chicontepec to the Gulf coast. It has also caused environmental damage and made subsistence farming difficult to impossible in many areas.<ref name="huasnahuas"/> Conflicts have even led to the formation of armed groups such as the Ejercito Popular Revolucionario in the latter 20th century.<ref name="cienaños">{{cite news   |title= Cien anos de soledad en la Huasteca |author=Claudia Ramos  |newspaper=Reforma  |location=Mexico City  |date=August 11, 1996  |page=4  |language=es |trans-title=One hundred years of solitude in La Huasteca }}</ref>  Despite brokered talks and disarming, the region is conflictive, especially along the Hidalgo/Veracruz border.<ref name="enfoque">{{cite news   |title= Enfoque/ La Huasteca: Veinte anos de violencia  |author=Arturo Cano  |newspaper= El Norte  |location=Monterrey , Mexico  |date=August 25, 1996  |page=12  |language=es |trans-title=Focus/La Huasteca: Twenty years of violence }}</ref>

The major development of the 20th century in the Huasteca was the development of roadways and other infrastructure to connect it with the rest of the country.<ref name="lochoa195">Ochoa, L. p. 195</ref> Until the latter 20th century, many of the municipalities of the region did not have paved roads, with a few still in this situation to this day. The highways and other roads in this area have allowed for seasonal and permanent emigration out of the area by younger generations looking for work.<ref name="huasnahuas"/> In the 20th century, preschool and primary school were widely introduced into the area. They have included various models of instruction including bilingual and bicultural education. At higher levels, it has included distance education for middle and high school. More recently, there has been a push for especially technical education such as the Tecnológico de Huejutla and the Universidad Comunitaria de la Huasteca Norte. This has raised literacy rates as well as the ability to speak Spanish among the indigenous. It has also caused cultural changes as younger generations have access to information about the outside world.<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

The dream of creating the [[Huastec State]] has been regarded as a [[utopia]] for the governors of three states adjacent in century XX, who are the main opponents to the project of creation of the federal entity number 33 of the United Mexican States. For the next autumn,<ref>[http://www3.diputados.gob.mx/camara/005_comunicacion/b_agencia_de_noticias/001_2005/11_noviembre/22_22/2845_proponen_la_creacion_del_estado_huasteco Creación del Estado Huasteco (Spanish).]</ref> the civilians seeking the means to integrate as a new entity, indigenous communities, farmers and citizens directly and indirectly apriban(agrarian?) building project.<ref>[http://www.codigosanluis.com/portal/node/1415 Proyect Huastec State.]</ref>

The main arguments are, the abandonment of the region by their state governments, cultural and racial integration which was divided by the region in the colonial and republican period. The reintegration of the [[Huastec people|Huasteca]] is considered a historic debt that it has with the [[Indigenous peoples of Mexico|indigenous peoples]] of the region.

==Indigenous people==
[[File:Huasteca.png|thumb|Extent of Huastec language spoken today.]]

La Huasteca is home to six indigenous ethnic groups with over 250,000 speakers of various indigenous languages.<ref name="meten"/><ref name="mexdespot"/> About 70% speak [[Nahuatl]]; 20% speak [[Huastec language|Huastec]]; six percent speak [[Otomi language|Otomi]] and about three percent speak [[Pame language|Pame]], [[Tepehua languages|Tepehua]], or [[Totonac languages|Totonac]]. The Nahuatl speakers of La Huasteca comprise over 27% of all Nahuatl speakers in Mexico.<ref name="unesco"/> Indigenous communities continue to be mostly agricultural with the growing of corn being most important. Other important aspects include cattle, the processing of sugar cane and the growing of citrus as a cash crop although most of this is under the control of mestizos. While subject to municipal authorities, usually mestizo dominated, they have their own internal political and economic systems as well.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="huasnahuas"/> The indigenous of the area face discrimination from the dominant mestizos, who call themselves “gente de razón” (people of reason) and the indigenous “compadritos” or “cuitoles” which is similar to calling them children.<ref name="huasnahuas"/> Catholic influence in the region has been limited since the colonial period, mostly restricted to major towns and flat areas and less in the more rugged terrain. This has allowed the indigenous of La Huasteca to maintain more of their traditions than those in other regions of Mexico.<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

Despite the fact that the large region is named after them, the [[Huastec people]] today only occupy a fraction of it in a strip from northwest Querétaro east towards the north of Veracruz.<ref name="lochoa188"/>  The largest Huastec communities are found in the mountain areas of Otontepec and Tantoyuca in Veracruz, Tancanhuitz, Tanlajas and Aquismón in San Luis Potosí. Huastecs are a Mayan people, whose language probably separated about 3,000 years ago. Their presence is here is most likely due to Mayan expansion north along the Veracruz coast until sometime between 1000 and 1500 CE, when they were forced back south, leaving the Huastec group in the far north isolated.<ref name="arqueomex"/>

The name Huastec comes from Nahuatl; the Huastec call themselves Teenek.<ref name="huasnahuas"/> While the Huastec were the most northern Mesoamerican culture, their culture is distinct from those in the Mexican Plateau, which whom they had contact and from other Mayan groups. One reason for this was their contact with the Chichimecas to the north, and their isolation from other Mayan cultures.<ref name="arqueomex"/> While the Huastecs managed to spread their influence over a large territory, they never built cities and ceremonial centers as large as in other parts of Mesoamerica. One reason for this was that the Chichimeca were a constant threat.<ref name="lochoa29-32">Ochoa, L. p. 29-32</ref> In the Post Classic period, Huastec territory shrank due to incursions by Nahuas and Otomi in the south and west, culminating into Aztec conquest of much of the territory by the early 16th century.<ref name="lochoa32"/> This loss of land would continue into the Spanish colonial period with mestizos coming to dominate the region, especially in the Veracruz and Tamaulipas coast areas.<ref name="lochoa191193"/>

[[Nahua peoples|Nahua]] communities and the Nahuatl language are now the most dominant indigenous influence in La Huasteca, especially in the south and west of the region. The Nahuas dominate the southern part of La Huasteca in over fifty municipalities in San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo and Veracruz, such as [[Jaltocan]] and [[Calnali]] in Hidalgo, Ixhuatlán de Madero and [[Benito Juárez, Veracruz|Benito Juárez]] in Veracruz.<ref name="huasnahuas"/><ref name="lochoa190">Ochoa, L. p. 190</ref>  It is likely that many of the Nahuas in the south of La Huasteca are descended from ethnic Huastecs who shifted to Nahuatl.<ref name="unesco"/> There are two main dialects of Nahuatl spoken in the region. The Nahuas in the north of the region share a number of cultural traits with the Huastec and those in the south share traits with the Otomis and Tepehuas but all are considered to be part of the same Nahua subgroup. The Huasteca Nahuas in Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí have put effort into developing a shared identity in the face of land and political struggles.<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

The [[Otomi people|Otomis]] were the first to conquer the southern part of La Huastecas as they fled Nahua domination in their original home of the [[Toluca Valley]].<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

It is thought that the [[Totonac people|Totonacs]] and [[Tepehuas]] in the region date back as far as the Huastecs. These people are found in the very far south of the region and both were conquered by the incoming Otomi as well as the Nahuas in the Mesoamerican period.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name="huasnahuas"/>

==Culture==
[[File:ConcursoHuapango04.JPG|thumb|Scene from the ''Concurso de Danza Huapango'' in [[Pinal de Amoles]], [[Querétaro]].]]
[[File:HuapangoAcuarela.JPG|thumb|Huapango trio from Veracruz at the [[Alfredo Guati Rojo National Watercolor Museum]].]]

Despite the lack of ethnic Huastecs, the region still maintains a cultural identity, which is celebrated at various festivals such as the Encuentro de las Huastecas (Huastec Encounter) in Amatlán in November,<ref name="preparan">{{cite news |title= Preparan encuentro para preservar cultura de la Huasteca  |author=Rafael Robledo  |url= http://www.eluniversalveracruz.com.mx/13746.html  |date=November 19, 2011  |publisher= El Universal  |location=Mexico City  |language=es |trans-title=Prepare encounter to preserve the culture of La Huasteca |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref> and the Festival de la Huasteca in Ahuacatlán de Guadalupe, Purísimas de Arista and Agua Zarca in Querétaro.<ref name="queretaro">{{cite news |title= Querétaro, sede del XVI Festival de la Huasteca   |url= http://eleconomista.com.mx/entretenimiento/2011/10/12/queretaro-sede-xvi-festival-huasteca |date=October 12, 2011  |publisher= El Economista  |location=Mexico City  |language=es |trans-title=Queretaro, site of the XVI Festival de la Huasteca |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref> Much of the region's culture has remained distinct because of the lack of communication with the outside world. This region has not been extensively studied by academics.<ref name="francesa">{{cite news   |title= Arqueóloga francesa presenta investigación sobre la Huasteca  |newspaper= Diario San Diego |location=Chula Vista, CA  |date=August 10, 2009  |language=es |trans-title=French archeologist presents research about La Huasteca   }}</ref>

The most traditional dance and music of the region is called the [[Huapango]] or Son Huasteco. It is played by a trio of musicians: one playing a small, five-string rhythm guitar called a jarana huasteca, one on an eight-string bass guitar called a quinta huapanguera and another playing a violin. The two guitarists sing coplas, or short poetry stanzas, alternating verses between them. Son huasteco has two unique trademarks: improvised violin ornamentations based on a melody, and the use of a high falsetto voice. The style has spread beyond Veracruz and San Luis Potosí to other states including Hidalgo, which is now another center for the music.<ref name="mexdespot"/><ref name="fading">{{cite web  |url= https://www.npr.org/2012/03/11/148380040/new-collection-brings-back-the-pleasure-of-son-huesteco  |title= Far From Fading, Mexico's Son Huasteco Style Flares  |author= Betto Arcos    |publisher= National Public Radio  |location=New York   |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref> Unlike other folk music in Mexico, it is not in danger of disappearing and remains in high demand for major celebrations in La Huasteca. The music has been researched and cataloged for over forty years which has resulted in a two CD compilation called El Gusto. It was also the focus of a documentary called “A Mexican Sound” by Roy Germano.<ref name="fading"/>

The dance is performed on an elevated platform called a zapatea. The music and dance in its several varieties is shared by all the ethnicities of the region. It is most often performed in rural social events called “fandangos.” .<ref name="mexdespot"/> It is also performed at the various Huastec cultural events such as the Festival de la Huasteca in Querétaro.<ref name="identidad">{{cite news |title=La huasteca, identidad cultural en movimiento |url=http://impreso.milenio.com/node/9051878 |date=October 28, 2011 |publisher=Milenio |location=Mexico City |language=es |trans-title=La Huasteca, cultural identity on the move |access-date=March 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205215314/http://impreso.milenio.com/node/9051878 |archive-date=February 5, 2012 }}</ref>

Traditional dishes include [[mixote]]s, [[enchilada]]s, [[barbacoa]] and especially a corn pudding called zacahuil.<ref name="dondese"/>

The end of wet season farming ends with Xantolo. It is similar to [[Day of the Dead]] and celebrated at the same time, but it has important differences. Xantolo brings people to cemeteries as well but it is to celebrate the living and the dead, as it marks the harvest of this growing season.<ref name="huasnahuas"/> Preparations for Xantolo last a week with altars remaining through November. Gifts of food are prepared to exchange with god parents, friends, family and neighbors. Altars consist of arches over a rectangular table. Each corner of the table has a pole to represent the four stages of human life (childhood, adolescence, adult and old age). The poles are bent towards the center above the table to form arches, and covered with branches of local flora.<ref name="azteca21">{{cite news |title= "Xantolo", "Sancta Sanctorum" o "Día de Muertos" en la Huasteca Potosina, una tradición bien arraigada  |url= http://azteca21.com/n/index.php/mexico-lindo/fiestas-populares/13362-qxantoloq-qsancta-sanctorumq-o-qdia-de-muertosq-en-la-huasteca-potosina-una-tradicion-bien-arraigada |date=October 11, 2010  |publisher= Azteca 21 Noticias  |language=es |trans-title="Xantolo" "Sancta Sanctorum"or Day of the Dead in the Potosí Huasteca, a well established tradition |access-date=March 28, 2012 }}</ref> It shares certain elements with Day of the Dead such as cempasúchil flowers, papel picado and the creation of altars to the dead adorned with local fruit, candles and copal incense. It lasts from 29 October with the slaughter of pigs and turkeys. October 30 and 31 are for the remembrance of children and adults respectively and November 1 is not only for saints but also to honor godparents. A traditional dance for the event has groups of dancers who ridicule the powerful of the local society then are chained by a devil. These dancers perform with cloth masks, with the aim that Death does not recognize them and take them away.<ref name="tradpopu">{{cite web  |url= http://www.uv.mx/popularte/esp/scriptphp.php?sid=559  |title= La Tradición en La Huasteca  |publisher= Universidad Veracruzana  |language= es  |trans-title= Tradition in La Huasteca  |access-date= March 28, 2012  |url-status= dead  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071017123741/http://www.uv.mx/popularte/esp/scriptphp.php?sid=559  |archive-date= October 17, 2007  }}</ref>

The [[Danza de los Voladores|Volador rite]] is performed by the Huastecs  in the east of San Luis Potosí although they wear normal clothes adorned with feathers. The exception is the captain who wears a red or blue tunic.<ref name="lochoa84">Ochoa, L. p. 84</ref>

[[Carnival]] is important in the Veracruz part of the Huasteca, but each as a very local and religious character.<ref name="lochoa100101">Ochoa, L. p. 100-101</ref> For the Nahuas, Carnival is considered to be a “ritual of inversion” where social norms are relaxed. This is done to “placate the Devil” and keep him happy as well. Activities include men dressing as women and local authorities are made powerless temporarily. Offerings are also made by burial, perhaps an offering to the underworld. In many communities, many birds are slaughtered and alcohol is drunk in abundance. Carnival marks the end of dry season farming before rains begin in earnest in April. Ceremonies to ask for abundant rain begin after the end of [[Lent]] .<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

==Economy==
It is one of the poorest regions of the country,<ref name="focos">{{cite news   |title= Ven focos rojos en la huasteca  |author=Miguel Dominguez |author2=Ruth Berrones  |newspaper= Mural  |location=Guadalajara, Mexico  |date=July 2, 2003  |page=8 6 689|language=es |trans-title=See red lights in La Huastecas }}</ref> with the federal government categorizing it as a “critical region” in terms of combating poverty.<ref name="enfoque"/> The most pressing economic and political problems are in the Veracruz section with high socioeconomic marginalization due to isolation, disputes over land and political repression.<ref name="enfoque"/> Since the mid 20th century, there has been seasonal and permanent migration out of the area and into other areas of Mexico and to the United States to work. In Mexico, most go to Mexico City, [[Tampico]] and [[Monterrey]] to work as household help but they also go to work in mines in [[Pachuca]] and farms in San Luis Potosí, coffee plantations in Huauchinango and the United States.<ref name="unesco"/>

Like most rural indigenous, the economy is based on agriculture, especially the growing of corn. Other important aspects include cattle, the processing of sugar cane, coffee and the growing of citrus as a cash crop although most of this is under the control of mestizos.  [[Piloncillo]] from sugar cane is an important processed product, most of which is shipped to Jalisco for the tequila industry.<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

Handcrafts of the area include ceramics in Huejutla, [[ixtle]] items, [[quechquemitl]]s, cross stitch decorated garments in the region on the Hidalgo-Veracruz border, musical instruments and furniture, especially chairs made of cedar and other tropical hardwoods.<ref name="dondese"/><ref name="huasnahuas"/> In the area around Tantoyuca, Veracruz, handcrafts from a fiber called zapupe and palm is used to make hats, carrying bags and other objects.<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

Main regional markets include Tantoyuca, Huejutla, Tamazunchale and Chicontepec.<ref name="huasnahuas"/>

Most of the region is not visited by foreign tourists as the preference is for the beaches.<ref name="visitjungle"/> Ecotourism attractions include [[rappelling]] alongside waterfalls, rafting on rivers such as the Santa Maria, most of which are located in the state of San Luis Potosí.<ref name="visitjungle"/><ref name="secretos"/> Englishman [[Edward James]] built Las Pozas (The Wells) in an area of coffee and banana plantations near Xilitla. The poet lived here from 1949 until his death in 1984. The gardens contains giant sculptures, pagodas, and staircases to nowhere over a property of 32 hectares. The poet's former home is a mansion of turrets and Gothic windows in the middle of the jungle. Today it is a hotel with the name of La Posada El Castillo.<ref name="ligero"/><ref name="visitjungle"/>

==Transportation==
There is no airport directly serving the La Huasteca region. To travel to La Huasteca via air, there are three options:
San Luis Potosi Airport – from here, it is about a four-hour drive to reach the heart of the region, considered Ciudad Valles.
Airport of Querétaro – it is around a six-hour drive to reach Ciudad Valles, but this route is closer to other main sites in La Huasteca, such as the surrealistic gardens of Edward James in Xilitla.
Airport in Tampico, Tamaulipas – this is perhaps the closest physical airport to Ciudad Valles, but the state is currently considered unsafe to travel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mexlocal.com/mexico-safety-travel-warnings/|title=Is It Safe To Travel To Mexico Right Now?|website=MEXLocal|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref>

For bus transportation, most of the main bus companies serve the main cities. Between smaller towns, tourists must generally rely on shared mini-vans, called 'colectivos.' However, taxi and car rentals are also relatively affordable.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book   |title= Huaxtecos y totonacos |author=Lorenzo Ochoa  |publisher=CONACULTA  |location=Mexico City  |year=1990   |isbn=968-29-2466-9 |language=es |trans-title=Huastecs and Totonacs }}

{{coord|21|58|25|N|99|4|9|W|region:MX|display=title}}
{{Template:Indigenous countries of the Americas}}
[[Category:Huastec]]
[[Category:Historical regions in Mexico]]
[[Category:Regions of Mexico]]
[[Category:Geography of Mesoamerica]]
[[Category:Geography of San Luis Potosí]]
[[Category:Geography of Tamaulipas]]
[[Category:Geography of Veracruz]]
[[Category:Geography of Puebla]]
[[Category:Geography of Hidalgo (state)]]
[[Category:Geography of Querétaro]]
[[Category:Geography of Guanajuato]]
[[Category:Sierra Madre Oriental]]
[[Category:Cultural regions]]
[[Category:Veracruz moist forests]]