Huastec civilization

The Huastec civilization (sometimes spelled Huaxtec or Wastek) was a pre-Columbian civilization of Mesoamerica, occupying a territory on the Gulf coast of Mexico that included the northern portion of Veracruz state, and neighbouring regions of the states of Hidalgo, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas.

The Aztec Empire conquered the Huastec region around the 15th century, and probably demanded tribute payments.

The Huastec civilization is poorly studied, although there is a large body of stone sculpture, and a well-preserved Late Postclassic temple at Castillo de Teayo.

[1] In the Late Postclassic, the Huastec region was a centre for metallurgy that included the production of copper alloys.

Several studies have argued a more recent split from the mainstream Maya in the Postclassic, based on archaeological and linguistic evidence.