El Tamuín

After a further 44km/27mi (6km/4mi after Ebano and before the town of Tamuín) there is a left turning in the direction of San Vicente Tancualayab which leads after 6km/4mi to the Huastec excavation village of El Tamuín. The site was one of the most important towns in the Huastec empire, but unfortunately the ruins are neither spectacular nor well preserved.

Along the Río Tamuín there is an area covering some 17 ha (40 acres) which consists of platforms, altars, patios and earth mounds. The finds on this archaelogical site included a 3 m (10 ft) high platform with a large open flight of steps which was once covered in painted stucco. A low temple platform connected to a conical altar has also been uncovered and reveals wall-paintings which are still visible today. It is believed that this site dates from the 8th or 9th c. and therefore belongs to the Classic period. One of the finest and most famous of Huastec sculptures was also discovered at El Tamuín, the 1.45m/4.5ft high statue of a youth with symbols of the wind god Ehécatl. A copy is in the museum in Tampico/Ciudad Madero, while the original can be seen in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.