Huastecos
When the Spaniards arrived in their territory, the Huastecos did not cooperate with them as the neighboring Tlaxcalans and Totonacs did. In 1520, the Huastecos wiped out a small Spanish settlement that had been set up in their territory.
Once he had taken control of Tenochtitlán in August 1521, Cortés marched toward Huasteco territory with a large force of Spaniards and Mexica allies. After meeting with considerable resistance, Cortés defeated the Huastecos and founded the Villa de San Esteban in 1522. However, revolts by the Huastecos in October-December 1523 and 1525-26 were put down with great cruelty. In spite of their battles with both the Mexica and the Spaniards, the Huastecos continue to survive today, maintaining many aspects of their traditional culture and language. Huastecan music and dancing have influenced the musical folklore of Mexico. The contemporary Huasteco population numbers about 80,000 in Veracruz and San Luis Potosí.
Tochtepec was a large and sprawling Aztec province that extended from the Gulf Coast inland to the rugged eastern mountains. While the Náhuatl language of the Aztecs dominated Tochtepec, the Chinantec and Mazatec languages dominated the southwestern edge of the province. The Aztecs valued this province because it became a source of many highly valued resources, including cacao, cotton, precious feathers, gold, greenstones, and rubber, as well as several staple foodstuffs, fruits, and fish.
The Aztec province of Cuetlaxtlan lay along Veracruz's broad coastal plain north of Tochtepec. Michael E. Smith and Frances F. Berdan, in their descriptions of the Aztec provinces, write that "Cuetlaxtlan was very frequently caught in the political machinations of the Mexica and Tlaxcallans. Upon abandonment by their Tlaxcalan allies, Cuetlaxtlan was conquered by Moctezuma Ilhuicamina." However, the province was frequently in a state of rebellion against their Mexica overlords. Eventually, Emperor Axayácatl, who ruled from 1468 to 1481, reconquered the region and installed Aztec tribute collectors and garrisons.
During the long colonial period, the port of Veracruz, as Mexico's main port of entry, has been a contested prize for both Mexican generals and alien invaders. It was through this port that thousands of African slaves were brought en route to destinations at various locations in colonial Mexico. During the Seventeenth and Eighteen Centuries, the port was easy prey for buccaneers who wreaked havoc throughout the Caribbean. As the first city founded by the Spaniards in Mexico, it was also their last stronghold before their expulsion in 1821.
Today, Veracruz has a significant indigenous speaking population. Unlike other Mexican states, in which all the cultural elements of indigenous groups have disappeared, Veracruz has several Indian groups that continue to practice their former cultures. The indigenous identity in modern times was so strong that in the 1921 census, 35% of Veracruz residents regarded themselves as being of "pure indigenous" background, while 48% described themselves as having mixed origins.
