Sierra Gorda Part 7: Tancama's Plaza Santiago

The structure bordering the east side of Plaza Santiago contains two huastecos. The circular shape of these structures relates to Ehecatl, the Wind God, who was probably the most important deity at Tancama. These huastecos are among five that have been excavated at Plaza Santiago. In Part 5, I showed four others along the west side of Plaza de Mirador. Most temples throughout Mesoamerica are square or rectangular and their four sides face the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west). These directions are sacred and each has its own god. However, since wind can blow from from any direction, temples to Ehecatl are circular. 

This posting will feature Plaza Santiago, which sits below and just to the north of Plaza de Mirador. We'll take a look at its various structures and also at some of the artifacts that archeologists found at Tancama and other ancient sites in the region called the Huasteca. This was settled by the Huastec people, who migrated here from Guatemala around 1500 BC. (see Part 4 of this series). Tancama was abandoned at the end of the Epi-Classic period (900 AD), but the Huastec culture continues to this day in other areas of the Huasteca, including parts of the states of San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Vera Cruz, and Tamaulipas.

Overview

Portion of a site map showing Plaza Santiago. See Part 5 for the full map. The important structures are on the south, west, and east sides. There are a few traces of buildings in the northwest part of the site, but these are minimal. Unfortunately, after much research, this is the only map of Tancama I have found. It provides names for only a few buildings along with information about them. Most of these are in Plaza de Mirador (see Parts 5 & 6). Two exceptions are in Plaza Santiago. These are Edificio del Cuchillo de Obsidiana (Building of the Obsidian Knife - #11) and Edificio del Cuarto Adosado (Building of the Added Room - #6). 

The most significant structure of Plaza Santiago is the unnamed building that faces west from along the east side of the Plaza. For clarity's sake I will refer to it as the Eastside Building. It is a long, rectangular structure of four levels that extends on a north-south axis and has two huastecos on top (see 1st photo). Oddly, the site map shows these circular structures as rectangles on either end of the structure. South of the Eastside Building is Terraza del Sol (Terrace of the Sun), which contains a separate huasteco not shown on the map.

The southern side of the plaza is formed by the back side of structure #6, a building which actually faces south into Plaza de Mirador. Projecting north from the western end of structure #6 is structure #11, the Obsidian Knife Building. This faces east into the Plaza and has several levels which are topped by huastecos on its north and south ends. The northwest corner of the Plaza shows several structures on the map. However, as I mentioned, these are just outlines of buildings. The northern side of Plaza Santiago contains no buildings and overlooks Plaza de la Promesa to its north. 

Ixcuinan, the Huastec goddess of fertility. The statue was found at a site known as Castillo del Teayo, in San Luis Potosí. While no statue of Ixcuinan has yet been found at Tancama, she was worshipped throughout the Huasteca and her images have been found at numerous sites. When the Aztecs conquered the Huasteca, they associated Ixcuinan with their fertility goddess Tlazolteotl, much like they did with Ehecatl and Quetzalcoatl (see Part 5).

Because the ancient Huastecs lacked a written language, we know very little about Ixcuinan except that she was very important to their culture. The Aztecs thought her cult was similar to that of their own fertility goddess. They described Tlazolteotl as the "eater of filth", and believed she created fertility by consuming various waste products, including human excrement. She then transform the wastes into healthy new life. Since every Mesoamerican civilization was dependent upon the production of maiz (corn), propitiating the fertility goddess was extremely important. 

Plaza Santiago, viewed from its northwest corner. In the foreground, you can see the outline of one of the almost-vanished buildings that once stood here. In the left background is the low silhouette of the Eastside Building. In the upper right is a ramp that descends from the northeast corner of Plaza de Mirador. This shot gives you a sense of the expansiveness of Plaza Santiago, which is larger than and somewhat less enclosed than Plaza de Mirador. 

Anthropomorphic pot found at Tancama. An anthropomorphic object is one that has been made to resemble some human feature. The pot above was crafted to resemble a human head. It has eyes and a nose and the slightly opened mouth contains teeth.The ears have holes for earrings. Under the eyes, the face is painted to resemble tattoos. The precise meaning and use of such a pot is not clear. A priest or shaman may have used it in some ritual activity. On the other hand, it may have been a household object. What is clear is the skill and artistry of the potter.

 

Edificio del Cuarto Adosado stands on the Plaza's south side

A ramp leads down from Plaza de Mirador into Plaza Santiago. The view above is toward the west. The ramp begins on the east end of Edificio del Cuarto Adosado. What you see above is the back side of the structure, which faces into Plaza de Mirador. However, its top level would have made an excellent viewpoint for those who wanted to observe ceremonies or other activities conducted in Plaza Santiago.  While there may have been a path leading down in pre-hispanic times, this ramp is a 21st century creation. 

The rear of Edificio Cuarto Adosado, viewed toward the east. While this structure rises 4m (16ft) on the side facing into Plaza de Mirador, this side rises approximately 9m (29.5ft), making it almost twice as tall. The ancient architects who designed the building made use of the slope of the ridge on which Tancama is situated to create the south side of Plaza Santiago. There are five stepped-levels on this side. The first two provide raised walkways along the base of the building. Alternatively, these and the levels above could have been used for audience seating, much like those found in outdoor amphitheaters. 

The Huastec Life-Death statue. The figure was created during the Early Post-Classic period (900-1250 AD), near the end of the period when Tancama was occupied. It was found in San Luis Potosí, near the site of the Huastec city of Tamuin. Although it appears to be two different statues, the figures are actually two sides of the same statue. The young man on the left represents life. He is healthy, well-formed, and is dressed as an elite member of Huastec society. The skeletal figure on the right displays body organs and decay and represents death. Back-to-back, the statue represents duality and the cyclical nature of reality. 

The concepts of duality and the cyclicality were central to the Mesoamerican worldview. They are still expressed today in Mexico's Day of the Dead fiesta. Duality means that everything is composed of two opposite parts. For example: life and death, male and female, day and night. The two parts are actually a unity and you cannot fully understand one without its opposite. Related to duality is the cyclical aspect of reality. Day and night repeat themselves and the movements of celestial bodies are similarly cyclical. All life is a process of birth, death, and re-birth. The Life-Death statue expresses both of these concepts.

Edificio del Cuchillo de Obsidiana (the west side structure)

View toward the north, overlooking Edificio del Cuchillo de Obsidiana. The sloped wall of stones on the right is the west end of Edificio del Cuarto Adosado. The grassy area filled with trees below to the right (where the man is standing) is Plaza Santiago. A stone staircase leads down from the spot where this photo was taken to the first huasteco of the Obsidian Knife Building. The huasteco on the north end of this structure is out of sight under the trees. The structure connecting the two huastecos has three stepped-levels along each side.

This is the huasteco on the south end of the Obsidian Knife building. The Cuatro Adosado building's west end is visible in the center left. This huasteco is low and is only a few meters in diameter, making it relatively small compared to the rest of the circular structures at Tancama. There is a three-step staircase on its north side, but the stairs probably went all the way to the top at one time. 

Edificio del Cuchillo de Obsidiana was named for the broken blade found here when archeololgists excavated the site. The blade was made from black obsidian and is bi-facial, which means it wasn't just a random flake but was carefully worked. It may have been chipped by a local craftsman from a large block of obsidian called a "core". Alternatively, the finished blade may have been brought in through the trade networks. However, the obsidian itself did not originate in the Sierra Gorda area, but in the state of Hidalgo. This is known because scientists can now trace an obsidian object's exact point of origin. 

The north end of Edificio del Cuchillo de Obsidiana contains another huasteco. It has a small staircase on its south side and, like its twin on the south end, this huasteco is also small and low. The Obsidian Knife Building and the Eastside Building are both roughly rectangular, have several levels, and each contains two huastecos. However, a bit later in this posting, you will see that the structure on the east side is much larger and more complex.

Obsidian is volcanic glass and deposits of it only exist in areas that are geologically volcanic. Each site has its own specific chemical "fingerprint". The blade found here originated in an area known as Zacualtipán / Metzquititlán, a mountainous region of Hidalgo about 255km (158mi) from Tancama. By car, the torturously winding road can be covered in 6.5 hours. However, in pre-hispanic times it would have taken weeks of trudging over mountain trails. Other obsidian objects recovered at Tancama originated even further away in the Sierra de Pachuco (Hidalgo), El Paraíso (Querétaro), and Ucareo (Michoacán).

This statue of a female Huastec ruler was found in Veracruz in 2021. She is called "The Young Woman of Amajac" and is named after the pueblo where the statue was found. Her head-dress is significant because it identifies her as a ruler. We know this because of another statue of a male ruler , who wears an almost identical head-dress. In addition, the poses of the two figures are nearly identical. Along with the fertility goddess (see photo #3 above) and the female ball player (see Part 6), this figure confirms that Huastec women occupied some positions that were almost entirely male-dominated in other pre-hispanic societies. 

Structures along Plaza Santiago's east side

The Eastside Building, looking north from Plaza de Mirador. This structure continues the border along the east side of Tancama that begins in Plaza de Mirador with buildings #7, #8,and #9. Altogether, they form a barrier against intrusions by the common people living down the slope further to the east. The south end of the Eastside Building has a staircase that leads up to its third level. There are also staircases along the building's west side. This side faces into Plaza Santiago. Some of the rugged, heavily-wooded mountains which surround Tancama can be seen in the distance. (Photo from Lugares INAH)

 

The southwestern end of the Eastside Building. The ramp leading up to Plaza de Mirador is in the center right. This end of the structure has three levels, with a staircase leading up from the second to the third level. Although some parts of the Eastside Building seem to have been constructed for ceremonial purposes, it is possible that this part may have been used as an elite residence. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any reports about its excavation or about any artifacts found here.

A solitary huasteco stands just behind the Eastside Building's south end. The photo was taken looking north from the Terraza del Sol. For some reason, this huasteco doesn't appear on the site map. The building is intriguing because it was built slightly outside the barrier formed by the Eastside Building, with a narrow alley separating the two structures.

The position of this huasteco is puzzling because there seems to have been plenty of room for it within Plaza Santiago. The ceremonial areas of pre-hispanic cities were nearly always laid out according to specific plans mimicking the patterns of the cosmos. To me, the huasteco's placement seems to be unusually random. 

Carole checks out the central section of the Eastside Building. Tancama underwent centuries of looting before serious archeological work began here in 1999. The formal studies and excavations lasted about 12 years until the site was opened to the public in 2011. Although this may seem like a long time, it should be remembered that archeological digs at some sites in Mexico have been going on for at least 200 years. 

Unlike some of those more famous cultures, the Huastec civilization did not catch the attention of the archeological community until fairly recently. Other, grander sites like Teotihuacán and Chichen Itza were not as isolated as those in the Huasteca region. Since they contained larger, grander structures, they were apparently more attractive. 

Only recently has the Huastec culture begun to be seriously investigated and new discoveries occur regularly. Ironically, the Huastec culture long pre-dates those more well-known sites and, while the people who occupied Teotihuacán and Chichen Itza vanished centuries ago, the Huastec-speaking people still exist today. 

Two more huastecos were built on top of the Eastside Building. These are the same two seen in photo #1. The one to the right of center occupies the middle of the structure and the other sits on its north end. Both are larger than the ones on Edificio del Cuchillo de Obsidiana. Just beyond the northern huasteco, the land drops down to Terraza del Norte (North Terrace) and then to Plaza de la Promesa (Plaza of the Promise). 

This completes Part 7 of my Sierra Gorda series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may reply in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim