Sierra Gorda Part 8: Tancama's Plaza de la Promesa

Plaza de la Promesa, looking southeast. Three of the circular structures called huastecos surround this plaza. None of them have names, but the large one above the photo's center was designated Edificio #17 by archeologists. A somewhat smaller huasteco stands near dead center. Just to the left (east) of #17 is another small huasteco. I didn't realize it was there until I saw this aerial shot, although I had photographed it from the ground. This shot is from a drone video in the website Lugares INAH. Plaza de la Promesa is the least explored of the plazas at Tancama but, even so, has yielded some interesting archeological finds.

This posting is the fifth (and last) part of my Sierra Gorda series focusing on the Huastec civilization and the ancient city of Tancama. Future postings will cover other aspects of the Sierra Gorda. In this one we'll explore the huastecos that surround the Plaza de la Promesa, along with some of its elite residential structures. I will also show you some ancient artifacts from Tancama and other sites in the region called the Huasteca, including statues of gods, jewelry, and tools.

Overview

Site map of Plaza de la Promesa (Plaza of the Promise). North is toward the top of the map. The structure at the bottom center of the map side is part of the Eastside Structure of Plaza Santiago, seen in the last posting. The large rectangular building in the center of the map is Edificio #17. For some reason, the map does not show this huasteco as circular, although it most definitely is. Above #17 is a circle indicating the position of the second largest huasteco, with a rectangular structure next to it, tilted toward the northeast.

The east and north sides of the Plaza are formed by a series of residential structures roughly in the form of a fishhook. These were probably occupied by some of the lower-ranking families among the elite, including priests, leading warriors, and administrators. The top- ranked people were more likely to have resided further up the hill in Plaza Santiago or Plaza el Mirador (see Parts 5, 6, & 7). Scattered around outside Plaza de la Promesa are the foundations of unidentified buildings that I did not photograph.

The god Mixcoatl-Camaxtle, dressed as a Huastec warrior. The sandstone statue was sculpted during the late Post-Classic era (1440-1521). It was found near Xico Viejo, Veracruz, and is currently displayed in the Brooklyn Museum in New York. The warrior has a fierce expression and his right hand is clenched in a manner suggesting that he originally carried a spear. His nose rod and conical hat indicate his status as a warrior and his deer hoof earplugs associate him with his companion animal. The skirt he wears is decorated with human heads and the necklace around his neck is made up of beads and human hearts.

The period in which the warrior was sculpted began just before the Aztecs invaded and conquered the Huastecs. It is likely that the Aztec army faced warriors who looked very similar to this one. Although Tancama was abandoned around 900 AD, the culture of the Huasteca region was stable and remained intact until the Spanish conquered them in the 1520s. It is therefore likely that a warrior who lived in Tancama would have looked like this. That Tancama had warriors is almost certain because of the discovery in Edificio #17 of burials of sacrificial victims who were probably war captives. 

Mixcoatl-Camaxtle (Cloud Serpent) was the god of warfare and hunting and was worshipped by a number of different Mesoamerican cultures, including the Huastecs, Aztecs, Toltecs, and Tlaxcalans. He was believed to be the son of Ometeotl, the dual male/female deity who was at the top of the pantheon of gods. Mixcoatl-Camaxtle was also thought to be one of the four creator gods and the father of the god Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent). Among other things, Cloud Serpent was revered for providing the Nahuatl-speaking people with the bow-drill, thus enabling them to produce fire.

Edificio #17

Google satellite view of Edificio #17 and the northern huasteco. The larger one is #17. It is a circular, flat-topped building with three levels, but has a rectangular terrace-like structure attached to its south side. The slightly smaller huasteco above it has a square base, but the upper levels are circular. The residential structures that form the "fishhook" are off to the right (east) under the trees. 

As outlined in my previous postings on Tancama's Plaza Santiago and Plaza el Mirador, the circular nature of huastecos connects them to Ehecatl, the Wind God. He may have been the most important deity among the Huastecs given the number of huastecos that have been discovered in Tancama and their other cities.

Edificio #17, viewed from the southeast corner of its terrace. You can get a sense of scale by how small Carole appears in comparison. The exact purpose of Edificio #17 is not known, but it was more likely to have been a ritual center than an elite residence. This is because an excavation project, conducted in 2001, discovered 64 skulls of individuals under the age of 18 who were mostly males. 

Pottery in the Black Zaquil style was found with the skulls, enabling the burials to be dated to the period between 500 and 700 AD. This was when Tancama was at its peak and Black Zaquil pottery was popular. Only the skulls were found and, since there were such a great number of them, this strongly suggests that they were from sacrificed individuals. Since they were mostly from young men, it is also likely that they were the decapitated heads of captured warriors.

Edificio #17, viewed from the steps of the northern huasteco. You are looking at the north side of the structure, which contains the remains of the grand staircase that once rose to the top level. Unfortunately, the only part of the staircase that is intact is the first step. The three levels of the huasteco can clearly be seen here. The lowest level is covered with neatly cut stones, while the upper levels are faced with rounded river stones. The structure's builders filled its interior with rubble, a standard pre-hispanic building practice.

View of #17 from the southwest corner of its terrace. The trees on the huasteco's flat top would not have been there when the city was occupied. The terrace is supported by a wall of rounded river stones which would have been brought from the riverbed up the mountain ridge to the building site. Along with all the rest of the building materials, these stones would have had to be carried by human porters, since no draft animals were available in pre-hispanic times. The amount of work necessary just to level each of the plazas, even before building any structures on them, is truly staggering.

A small stairway leads up from the Plaza to the huasteco's first level. These stairs are located on the west side of the structure. In 2012, additional work was conducted on Edificio #17. During these excavations, archeologists found human remains in several more burials. These were dated to approximately 1150 AD, two centuries after Tancama was abandoned. However, the broader Huastec civilization was still vibrant in many other areas at this time. 

Mexican archeologist Jorge Quiroz, who led the dig at Tancama, said that "people who already lived in other places came back to this city to deposit their dead in its structures..." This means that Huastecs were treating Tancama as a necropolis (city of the dead) and suggests that the abandoned city had become a sacred pilgrimage site. 

The remains were being studied to determine age, gender, possible sicknesses, and the reasons for incisions found on some of the bones. Archeologists are also trying to determine whether the skeletal remains were from victims of sacrifice or were secondary burials. This refers to remains initially buried, then exhumed and re-buried at another location, a common pre-hispanic funerary practice. 

Sculpture of Ixcuinan, the Huastec goddess of fertility.  This was carved from a single block of sandstone sometime between 900 AD and 1450 AD. The figure is 1.8m (6ft) tall, 0.6m (2ft) wide, and 0.15m (6in) thick. The same goddess, portrayed in a similar stance, can be seen in Part 7. However, this one is more delicately carved and wears a much more elaborate head dress shaped like a box and topped with a slender cone. The back of the head dress has the shape of a large fan, but the right side has been broken off. The Spanish described elite Huastec women wearing similar head dresses with the fan-shaped part made from bark paper. 

All the Huastec portrayals of female figures that I have seen are nude from the waist up (except for the hats). From the waist down, they wear ankle-length skirts. The exceptions are the female ball players (see Part 6) , who wear short pants for the game. This may, in fact, be how the Huastec women dressed, at least among the elite classes. As for men, the warrior shown early in this posting is also bare-chested, but wears a short skirt. Since the climate within the Huasteca region is mild, going about without covering the upper body may have been the normal custom for both sexes. 

The northern Huasteco & east side structures

The northern huasteco, viewed from the west side of Edificio #17. As noted before, this huasteco sits on a square 2-level base, with three circular levels on top, each of diminishing size. A staircase leads up from the Plaza de la Promesa on the east side. The northern huasteco is smaller than #17, but still quite sizable in its own right. The similarity of the two huastecos suggests that they may have served similar ritual functions. However, I can find no record of any human remains buried inside this one. For an aerial view, see the Google satellite shot (photo #4 of this posting).

Possible elite residential structure, just north of the northern huasteco. This building can be seen both in the initial photo of this posting, as well as the site map, where it is shown tilting to the northeast. The structure faces west into the Plaza and has two levels and a staircase. Its proximity to the northern huasteco, along with its size, suggests to me that there was a relationship between the two. Perhaps it was the residence of the priest who was responsible for the huasteco. 

Two charming little bone rings found at Tancama. Each has an anthropomorphic face, topped with a three-level hat. The bones of animals, and sometimes of humans, have been used to carve jewelry, tools, and other useful or decorative objects for hundreds of thousands of years. The primary reason is that bone can easily be carved and its various shapes lend themselves to this purpose. 

For example, the Teotihuacán people often retained the de-fleshed bones of deceased relatives in order to carve them into household utensils. This was apparently a way to keep a connection with loved ones who have passed away. The Aztecs beautifully decorated human skulls with turquoise mosaics and filled the eyeholes with white shells and black obsidian to imitate the whites and irises of eyes.

Carole sits on one of the structures that make up the "fish hook" on the Plaza's east side. This building can be seen in the first photo, just to the left (east) of Edificio #17. In the photo above, the edge #17 can be seen in the center of the left side. What can't be seen in this photo is something I didn't know was there when I took the shot. I only discovered later, when viewing the aerial photo, that the top two levels are circular, making this structure still another huasteco! Much smaller than #17 or the northern huasteco, this one more resembles those on top of the Edificio del Cuchillo de Obsidian in Plaza Santiago.

Copper axe discovered at Tancama. This is another example of fine copper work by Tancama's craftsmen. They created beautiful jewelry like the copper butterfly earrings found in the pyramid called Edificio de las Mariposas de Cobre (see Part 5). However, they also created useful tools like this axe. I find it fascinating that the Huastecs apparently entered the Chalcolithic (Copper Age) during the Classic era, centuries before the Aztecs had even arrived in central Mexico. Other artifacts recovered during excavations at Tancama can be seen at Lugares INAH, website of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Two-level base to a residential structure. This is located just to the north of the small huasteco where Carole was sitting. The finely built staircase leads down into the Plaza. The top of this structure would have contained a wooden building with a thatched roof. It probably housed a priest or warrior or other member of the elite class. Behind this building, the ground drops away to the east, where the commoners lived. This is one of a line of structures along the edge of the ridge on the east side of Tancama. This created a barrier between the the upper and lower strata of the city's society.

More tools and other objects created by the Huastecs. This is part of the collection in the Museo Historico de la Sierra Gorda, located in Jalpan de Serra (see Part 1). Starting at the top left, there is a stone axe and, to its right, one made of copper. Next is the metal point of a large lance. Two jade ear spools follow, then three bone tools which may be scrapers used to remove flesh from hides. 

On the bottom left is a row of nine obsidian arrow points. The differing sizes probably relate to the sort of game being hunted. Just above the next-to-last arrowhead is the claw of a large animal, possibly a bear. This would have been used to poke holes in leather for sewing. Next is a round object of unknown purpose and above it is another unidentifiable object. Two copper bells are to their right. Such bells were popular in pre-hispanic times. Below the bells are a couple of cutting tools.

This completes Part 8 of my Sierra Gorda series. My next posting will continue with the Sierra Gorda, but this is the last one on the Huastecs and the ancient city of Tancama. 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 comment below, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim