Compared to other Huastec ruins in Tamaulipas, such as the Balcon de Montezuma and the Pyramid of Tammapul, El Sabinito was the most urbanized and culturally significant.

While archaeological remains indicate that human activity around the Soto la Marina River sprung up as early as 10,000 BCE,[3] the Huastecs' construction and occupation of El Sabinito only began in 200 CE.

[5] Based on the discovery of 600 residential structures out of those foundations, Mexican archaeologists approximate that El Sabinito had a population of over 2,500 inhabitants at its peak.

[6] Due to its placement atop the tallest of a group of irregular hills and the presence of formidable terraces and embankments, El Sabinito may have functioned as a strategic point of observation which could monitor the movement of enemy nomadic tribes.

As mentioned above, excavations of the site performed by INAH resulted in the finding of more than 600 foundations built on terraces, corridors, and plazas arranged symmetrically in a manner that demonstrates fairly advanced knowledge of architecture.