Huasteca
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Captura_de_Pantalla_2020-03-11_a_la%28s%29_8.33.27.png/300px-Captura_de_Pantalla_2020-03-11_a_la%28s%29_8.33.27.png)
La Huasteca is a geographical and cultural region located partially along the
Geography and environment
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Tamasopo.jpg/220px-Tamasopo.jpg)
Historically and ethnically, the Huasteca region is defined by the area dominated by the Huastecs at their height.[1] 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.[1][2][3]
To the north and east there are relative flatlands. To the south there are hills of calcified sand.
It is one of the most bio-diverse regions in Mexico, with over 2,000 species of plants.
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
One section of the Huasteca is called the Sierra Gorda, which is centered on northern Querétaro, but extends into Hidalgo and Guanajuato.[11]
Huasteca veracruzana
In the state of
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
.Huasteca potosina
The Huasteca potosina is constituted by 20 municipalities which are:
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.[4] Most of the region is hot and humid with annual temperatures generally varying between 22 and 26C. 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.[1][12]
History
Huastec is derived from the Spanish Huasteca which is derived from the
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.[4] 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.[14][15] 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.[16]
Although the Huastecs built small cities and ceremonial centers, they never reached the size and complexity of others in Mesoamerica.
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.
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.[10] In the later colonial period, most Huastec communities were populated by mestizos, especially along the Veracruz and Tamaulipas coast.[20] Today, the Huastec ethnicity is found only along a narrow strip extending from far northern Querétaro to far north of Veracruz near Tamiahua.[21]
During the colonial period, the region was divided into five provinces called “alcaldías mayores”: Huauchinango, Huayacocotla-Chichontepec, Pánuco-Tampico, Huejutla and Yahualica.[1] 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.[1]
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.[1] 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.[1] Coffee was introduced to the mountain areas in the 19th century.[10] 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.[10] Conflicts have even led to the formation of armed groups such as the Ejercito Popular Revolucionario in the latter 20th century.[12] Despite brokered talks and disarming, the region is conflictive, especially along the Hidalgo/Veracruz border.[22]
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.[23] 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.[10] 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.[10]
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,[24] the civilians seeking the means to integrate as a new entity, indigenous communities, farmers and citizens directly and indirectly apriban(agrarian?) building project.[25]
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 Huasteca is considered a historic debt that it has with the indigenous peoples of the region.
Indigenous people
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Huasteca.png/220px-Huasteca.png)
La Huasteca is home to six indigenous ethnic groups with over 250,000 speakers of various indigenous languages.
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.[21] 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.[4]
The name Huastec comes from Nahuatl; the Huastec call themselves Teenek.[10] 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.[4] 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.[26] 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.[18] 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.[20]
The
It is thought that the
Culture
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,[27] and the Festival de la Huasteca in Ahuacatlán de Guadalupe, Purísimas de Arista and Agua Zarca in Querétaro.[28] 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.[29]
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.[11][30] 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.[30]
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.” .[11] It is also performed at the various Huastec cultural events such as the Festival de la Huasteca in Querétaro.[31]
Traditional dishes include
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.[10] 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.[32] 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.[33]
The 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.[34]
Carnival is important in the Veracruz part of the Huasteca, but each as a very local and religious character.[35] 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 .[10]
Economy
It is one of the poorest regions of the country,[36] with the federal government categorizing it as a “critical region” in terms of combating poverty.[22] 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.[22] 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.[1]
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.
Handcrafts of the area include ceramics in Huejutla, ixtle items, quechquemitls, 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.[2][10] In the area around Tantoyuca, Veracruz, handcrafts from a fiber called zapupe and palm is used to make hats, carrying bags and other objects.[10]
Main regional markets include Tantoyuca, Huejutla, Tamazunchale and Chicontepec.[10]
Most of the region is not visited by foreign tourists as the preference is for the beaches.
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.[37]
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
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "México - Pueblo Nahuas de la Huasteca" [Mexico – Nahua People of the Huasteca]. Agua Cultura (in Spanish). UNESCO. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Georgina Luna Parra. "La Huasteca, donde se canta el huapango (Hidalgo)" [La Huatesca, where Huapango is sung (Hidalgo)]. Mexico Desconocido magazine (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ a b Omar Garcia (June 2, 2004). "Meten a la Huasteca dentro de un museo" [Fit La Huasteca inside a museum]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 3.
- ^ a b c d e f Guy Stresser-Péan. "La Huasteca: historia y cultura" [La Huasteca: History and culture] (in Spanish). Arqueomex magazine. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Jim Budd. "Viajando Ligero / Aventura en la Huasteca" [Traveling light/Adventure in La Huasteca]. Mural (in Spanish). Guadalajara, Mexico. p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Alexis Okeowo (October 15, 2009). "Visit the Jungles of La Huasteca". Time. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c Alfredo Martinez (March 11, 2001). "Secretos de la Huasteca Potosina" [Secrets of the Huasteca in San Luis Potosí]. El Norte (in Spanish). Monterrey, Mexico. p. 6.
- ^ "Veracruz moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund., accessed 18 Dec 2014
- ^ Schoenhals, Louise C. (2020). A Spanish-English Glossary of Mexican Flora and Fauna (PDF) (Second: electronic ed.). Oaxaca, México: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano; SIL International | SIL Mexico. pp. 28, 42, 104, 132. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022.
- ^ ISBN 970-753-008-1. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Jaime Bali. "La Huasteca potosina, todo un universo cultural" [La Huatesca Potosina, an entire cultural universe]. Mexico Desconocido magazine (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ a b Claudia Ramos (August 11, 1996). "Cien anos de soledad en la Huasteca" [One hundred years of solitude in La Huasteca]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 4.
- ^ a b c Ochoa, L. p. 42
- ^ Ochoa, L. p. 29-30
- ^ Ochoa, L. p. 168-169
- ^ a b Ochoa, L. p. 33
- ^ Ochoa, L. p. 31-32
- ^ a b Ochoa, L. p. 32
- ^ a b Ochoa, L. p. 190
- ^ a b c Ochoa, L. p. 191-193
- ^ a b Ochoa, L. p. 188
- ^ a b c Arturo Cano (August 25, 1996). "Enfoque/ La Huasteca: Veinte anos de violencia" [Focus/La Huasteca: Twenty years of violence]. El Norte (in Spanish). Monterrey , Mexico. p. 12.
- ^ Ochoa, L. p. 195
- ^ Creación del Estado Huasteco (Spanish).
- ^ Proyect Huastec State.
- ^ Ochoa, L. p. 29-32
- ^ Rafael Robledo (November 19, 2011). "Preparan encuentro para preservar cultura de la Huasteca" [Prepare encounter to preserve the culture of La Huasteca] (in Spanish). Mexico City: El Universal. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ "Querétaro, sede del XVI Festival de la Huasteca" [Queretaro, site of the XVI Festival de la Huasteca] (in Spanish). Mexico City: El Economista. October 12, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ "Arqueóloga francesa presenta investigación sobre la Huasteca" [French archeologist presents research about La Huasteca]. Diario San Diego (in Spanish). Chula Vista, CA. August 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Betto Arcos. "Far From Fading, Mexico's Son Huasteco Style Flares". New York: National Public Radio. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ "La huasteca, identidad cultural en movimiento" [La Huasteca, cultural identity on the move] (in Spanish). Mexico City: Milenio. October 28, 2011. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ ""Xantolo", "Sancta Sanctorum" o "Día de Muertos" en la Huasteca Potosina, una tradición bien arraigada" ["Xantolo" "Sancta Sanctorum"or Day of the Dead in the Potosí Huasteca, a well established tradition] (in Spanish). Azteca 21 Noticias. October 11, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ "La Tradición en La Huasteca" [Tradition in La Huasteca] (in Spanish). Universidad Veracruzana. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ Ochoa, L. p. 84
- ^ Ochoa, L. p. 100-101
- ^ Miguel Dominguez; Ruth Berrones (July 2, 2003). "Ven focos rojos en la huasteca" [See red lights in La Huastecas]. Mural (in Spanish). Guadalajara, Mexico. p. 8 6 689.
- ^ "Is It Safe To Travel To Mexico Right Now?". MEXLocal. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
Bibliography
- Lorenzo Ochoa (1990). Huaxtecos y totonacos [Huastecs and Totonacs] (in Spanish). Mexico City: CONACULTA. ISBN 968-29-2466-9.