Quiahuiztlan

Quiahuiztlan stands above the Gulf coast of Mexico, in Totonac country near Cempoala. It served as a town, a fortified place and a cemetery. Archaeologists have identified 78 tombs, arranged in three groups; their small structures resemble miniature shrines.

Before Spanish arrival, Quiahuiztlan paid tribute to the Mexica. In 1519, Totonac peoples and Hernán Cortés's expedition formed an alliance here against Mexica rule. The encounter was part of the opening phase of conquest, as Indigenous communities pursued their own aims amid a rapidly changing political order.