Mexico Pre-Hispanic History Huastec Culture was located Northeast from Teotihuacan and the Toltec territory. The Huastec Culture settled part on the Highland, but mostly descending eastbound on the Oriental Sierra Mountain chain, along the Panuco River basin, as part of the States of San Luis, Hidalgo, Veracruz and Tamaulipas, towards the Gulf of Mexico Side.
On the opposite side the Purepecha Culture also known as Tarascan, was located Northwest from Toltec Tula, covering the geographic area of today’s state of Michoacan.
Archeologist findings show remains of the Mexico Pre-Hispanic History Huastec Culture going back somewhere near 1000BC. Huastecs most productive period is established during the Post classic period, around year 1200AD.
As most other important Pre-Hispanic Cultures, Huastecs were also builders, having constructed temples with step-pyramids, carved independently-standing sculptures, produced elaborately painted pottery and were admired by other cultures as musicians.
In the North of the State of Veracruz there is El Tajin Archeological Site. Around 1450AD, the Huastecs were defeated by Aztec warriors, although still retaining some degree of self government.
The Purepecha Tarascan state included other ethnic groups such as the Nahuatl, Otomi, Matlazinca, and Chichimec. These ethnic groups were gradually assimilated into the P'urhépecha majority group.
The Trascan State was composed of a system of imposing structures and progressively became more and more centralized, under the rule of the "Caconzi", the governor and king of the state. The Tarascan capital was located at Tzintuzuntzan on the edge of Lake Patzcuaro.
According to Tarascan oral tradition Tzintuzuntzan was founded by the first caconzi Tariacuri and dominated by his lineage the "Uacúsecha". The Tarascan state was contemporary with, and an enemy of the Aztec Empire, against which it fought many wars.
The warrior Tarascan empire blocked Aztec expansion to the northwest, and the Tarascans fortified and patrolled their frontiers with the Aztecs, developing strong territorial independence and blocking external influence, having so many exclusive cultural peculiarities, completely distinct from those of the Mexico Pre-Hispanic History cultural groups of Mesoamerica..