Huayacocotla

Huayacocotla was a mountain district in the Huasteca, where high, cold uplands give way to warmer valleys. Its communities included Nahua, Otomí and Tepehua inhabitants. The district centre stood on a plateau in the mountains, governing numerous smaller outlying settlements.

By 1569 Huayacocotla had passed to the Spanish Crown, with thirty-four dependent settlements. In the centre lived a vicar, local officials and representatives of the outlying communities. Its tribute included woven clothing and agricultural produce, reflecting the work of households in different parts of the district. In the early seventeenth century Huayacocotla became the seat of a corregimiento that also included Chicontepec, Zontecomatlán and Ilamatlán. Local landholding remained a concern as colonial authorities sought to define and regulate Indigenous communities' lands.