The Huastec Culture Museum Alejandra Sosa Florescano* or historical and geographical resulting recent creation of museums, re asons, Mexico’s Northeast, and theaters and galleries all over the state. Fparticularly Tamaulipas, have Outstanding among them is the Mu seo dev eloped differently from the rest of de la Cultura Huaxteca (Huastec Cul - the country. The lack of dominant cul - ture Museum), housed in the mo d e rn tures with monumental remains had Metropolitan Space Cultural Complex limited both archaeological research on the shores of the Carpintero Lagoon, and the dissemination of this state’s a piece of tropical jungle in the very heart cultural history. Nevertheless, recent of the cosmopolitan port of Tampico. archaeological discoveries have sparked Tampico (meaning “place of otters”) the interest of a society that for years was one of the old seats of the Huastec has demanded cultural outlets, with the culture. In and around the city there are still many remnants of the ancient *Archaeologist, contributor to the Ta mau - towns built on the shores of the la goons lipas Ins ti tu te for Culture and the Arts and rivers like the Pánuco and the Ta me - and the National Institute of Anthro po lo - sí . In the Chairel Lagoon, and in the res t gy and History ( INAH ). of what is now the state of Ta mau lipas, Photos of the museum’s interiors and pieces are the battle that gave the Spaniards con - reproduced by permission of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, Conaculta- INAH -Mex. trol over the Huasteca region took place. l e i t n o M e i s l E Reproduction of a Huastec priest. The original is currently at the Louvre. Photo: Elsie Montiel. The modern Metropolitan Space Cultural Complex on the shores of the Carpintero Lagoon houses the museum. 104 M U S E U M S Centuries later, at the time of the oil l e i t boom in the mid-1900s, Tampico be - n o M e came the center of attraction for the i s l entire region, including the states of Ve - E racruz, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Pue bla , Querétaro and Tamaulipas. With its avant- garde spirit, this important por t attempted to offer a space that would make possible the appreciation of the millennia-old Huastec culture, showing through its creations, traditions and cus - toms that the original foundations con - tinues to be alive and well. Also, despite oppression and the changes it has suf - fered historically, cultural con tinuity has been maintained generation after gen - eration, even though it is today threat - ened by poverty, marginalization and th e The art room displays creative migration of indigenous peoples seek - and finely honed works including stone sculptures, domestic ing a better way of life. ceramics, toys and musical instruments. A T OUR OF THE MUSEUM the old sun god, represent the cult of fer - tility. A pitcher with flowers represents In 1,200 square meters, the Huastec Paya, the moo n goddess; other objects Culture Museum presents visitors with are part of phal lic worship practiced in a representative range of archaeological Hidalgo state’s Huastec region until th e and ethnographic pieces from Huastec early twenti eth century. Gigantic mojigan - territory, dating from 500 B.C. until the gas , enormous cardboard dolls, paraded Spanish conquest and then from 1522 in the Huastec carnivals represent the until today. mix ture of indigenous, Christian and pa - It offers the visitor a complete pa no - ga n religion celebrating the cult of fer - rama of the entire region’s cultural de - tility in another way. velopment, showing the area’s natura l The art room displays creative and diversity on a relief map, graphs and vi - finely honed works including stone scul p - deos. Also outstanding is the variety o f tures representing gods and ritual and ethnic groups that share the Huastec cul - domestic ceramics, toys and musical in - tural tradition, among them the Tee nek s t ruments. Two unique pieces stand out or Huastecs, the Pames, Otomís, To to - among all the rest: a jointed, bone doll nacs, Tepehuas and Nahuas. The mu - representing a nude woman with a cone - seum’s different rooms combine ar chae - shaped hat, and the exact reproduction ology and ethnography to underline the of a Huastec sculpture of a priest, the continuity of their traditions. The room original of which is currently on display of the cult of life and fertility stresses in the Louvre after a French merchant their religious activities. The sculptures living in Tampico took it to France in Tancol anthropomorphic vessel . of Teem, the mother goddess, and Mam, the late 1800s. Until only a few years Photo: Gustavo Ramírez. 105 l e i t n o M e i s l E Jointed bone doll . Photo: Gustavo Ramírez. The central piece in the room of death is the recreation of the high-ground double interment, discovered in 1999. ago , this piece was unknown to spe - double interment, discovered in 1999 on cialists. the outskirts of the city. This burial is The room of death is dedicated to considered the most im portant example the belief current in the pre-His pa nic of its kind from the Huasteca region both period that the dead make a jour ney be cause of its rarity and the richness of to the underworld where they finally its of fering . It is the burial of a woman take up residence after un dergo ing sev - of exalted lineage accompanied by her eral different tests. Graphs and a model female slave or servant. The offering for show how the dead were buried at that the woman includes valuable objects like time and today: rolling them up in a straw shell bra celets, a string of 56 cop per bells mat with their personal belong ings, ap par - and a necklace of gold and jade bells. The el and tools. The cen tral piece in this altar of the dead, a must in this muse um , Black on white anthropomorphic vessel. Photo: Gustavo Ramírez. room is the recreation of the high- ground is the means of commu nication be tween 106 the world of the liv ing and the world l e i t of the dead; the dead come and share n o M e with their relatives and friends for the i s l brief period of Xantolo, or the day of E the faithful dead, before return ing to their dwelling place. The room of daily life exhibits the customs in food , cloth - ing , personal ornament and day- to -day activities. This section in clude s an ori gi - nal Huastec house brought from San Antonio Nogalar, 100 kilo meters north of Tampico, the last of its kind in the state. It also displays a va riety of pre- Hispanic utensils: bowls, pots, pla tes and some sur prising large clay spoons. The follow ing room deals with labor, empha - sizing pro ductive activi ties like fishing , farming and commerce as the basis for the local economy. Dif ferent pre-His - panic and modern tools for making tex - The room of the cult of life and fertility. tiles and cera mics, the techniques for making arrows and knives, clay weights for a fishing net, the remains of 5000- year-old basket-weaving and a nine - represented by the “Tamaletón fliers” teenth-century display case brought from from San Luis Po tosí, the only place in a Potosí indigenous community, as well the Huasteca where it is still practiced as a variety of modern crafts are all on as a ceremo ny that summarizes the indi - display. genous world view, the universal order The room of the sacred space ex plains and the fer tilization of Mother Earth, how the Huastecs transferred the cos - to ensure the permanence of Man on mic planes to the earthly world, repro - Earth. ducing the cosmic order through the distribution of their buildings. Outs tand - ing here is the life-sized reproduc tion Ehecacózcatl. of the great altar of Tamuín, from San Photo: Gustavo Ramírez. Luis Potosí, decorated with stupen dous THE HUASTEC CULTURE MUSEUM murals depicting a procession of priests , ESPACIO CULTURAL METROPOLITANO gods and prisoners. BOULEVARD LÓPEZ MATEOS S/N The center of the museum is domi - nated by a pole that represents the fun - LAGUNA DE CARPINTERO damental axis of the indigenous cosmos , TAMPICO , T AMPS . C.P. 89169 surrounded by four walls rep resenting OPEN TUESDAY TO SUNDAY , the four directions of the uni verse. This FROM 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M. room, which invites the visitor to rest PHONE : (833) 210-2217. and reflection, uses ad vanced technol - Gold necklace . ogy to reproduce the dance of the flier, Photo: Gustavo Ramírez. 107.