Abstract

GALINDO TREJO, Jesús. Huaxtec Worldview according to Monumento 32 of the City of Tamtoc. An. Inst. Investig. Estét [online]. 2025, vol.47, n.126, pp.11-54.  Epub Sep 01, 2025. ISSN 0185-1276.  https://doi.org/10.22201/iie.18703062e.2025.126.2890.

Recent excavations in the Huaxtec city of Tamtoc, San Luis Potosí, allowed the identification of archaeological vestiges of great importance for understanding the origin and cultural evolution of the people who inhabited this city since preclassical times. Monument 32 (M32) of Tamtoc is a spectacular monolith carved with a sui generis symbolic message that does not resemble any other example of Mesoamerican art. Based on the ethnographic information collected among the Huaxtec population, several interpretations of the carved scene are proposed. The orientation of M32 once it was placed in its original position is analyzed. The carved front of M32 has an orientation that implies a peculiar division of the year, defining the season of ­illumination of the monolith by the sun’s rays. It is concluded that Tamtoc is one of the cities where the Mesoamerican calendar was used at an early stage.

Keywords : Huasteca; ethnography; astronomical orientation; calendar; worldview.

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