Huaxtec Figure

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The Huastec inhabited the northern part of the Gulf Coast. They occupied a vast territory at the height of their expansion, covering roughly the modern states of Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo and Tamaulipas. The region was incredibly fertile, with cotton being an essential crop and one of the primary items of tribute and trade. Fertility is a recurring theme in Huastec art, depicted by stone sculptures of female goddesses, elderly men and phalluses. These female figures are closely associated with Tlazolteotl, an earth goddess also revered by the Mexica, who conquered the Gulf Coast in the fifteenth century. Representations of Tlazolteotl can be found in codices, pottery figurines and engraved on shell pendants. These female sculptures share distinct characteristics, such as a rigid posture, hands placed over their stomachs, bare breasts, long skirts and large headdresses. The headdress typically consists of a rectangular section with a conical cap on top and a fan-shaped crest. In this particular example, however, there is no indication of clothing, and the fan-shaped crest is carved into the back of the head.