Editing Veracruz (section)

===Pre-Columbian===
[[File:Olmec Head from San Lorenzo, Veracruz.jpg|thumb|[[Olmec colossal heads|Colossal stone head]], [[Olmec]] culture, around 900 BC]]
During the pre-Columbian era, Veracruz was mainly populated by four indigenous groups: the Huastecs and Otomis in the north, the Totonacs in the north-center, and the Olmecs in the south.<ref name="schmal"/> Remains of these past civilizations can be found in archeological sites such as Pánuco, [[Castillo de Teayo (Mesoamerican site)|Castillo de Teayo]], El Zapotal, Las Higueras, Quiahuiztlán, [[El Tajín]], [[Cempoala]], [[Tres Zapotes]] and [[San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán]].<ref name="enchistoria">{{cite web |url=http://www.e-local.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/veracruz/ |title=Historia |year=2005 |work=Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave |publisher=Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal |location=Mexico |language=es |trans-title=History |access-date=August 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616191401/http://www.e-local.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/veracruz/ |archive-date=June 16, 2011 }}</ref>

The first major civilization in the territory of the current state was that of the Olmecs. The Olmecs lived in the [[Coatzacoalcos River]] region and it became the center of Olmec culture. The main ceremonial center here was San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán. Other major centers in the state include Tres Zapotes in the city of Veracruz and [[La Venta]] in Tabasco. The culture reached its height about 2600 years ago, with its best-known artistic expression being the [[Olmec colossal heads|colossal stone heads]].<ref name="enchistoria"/> These ceremonial sites were the most complex of that early time period. Consequently, many anthropologists regard the Olmecs as the "mother culture" of numerous other Mesoamerican cultures. However, according to historian John Schmal, the Olmecs were "eclipsed" by other emerging Mesoamerican civilizations by 300 BCE.<ref name="schmal"/>

Another major group was the Totonacs, who have survived to the present day. Their region, called [[Totonacapan]], is centered between the Cazones River and the Papaloapan River in the north of the state. Pre-Columbian Totonacs lived from hunting, fishing and agriculture, mostly of corn, beans, chili peppers and squash. This is also the native region of the [[vanilla bean]]. Clay sculptures with smiling faces are indicative of this culture. The major site is [[El Tajín]], located near [[Papantla]], but the culture reached its apogee in Cempoala (about {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} inland from the current port of Veracruz), when it was conquered by the Aztecs.<ref name="enchistoria"/> When the Spaniards arrived in 1519, the territory was still home to a population of about 250,000 people living in fifty population centers and speaking four Totonac dialects. 25,000 were living in Cempoala alone.<ref name="schmal"/>

The [[Huastec people|Huastecs]] are in the far north of the Veracruz and extend into parts of Tamaulipas, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, [[Querétaro]] and Puebla. The language and agricultural techniques of these people and the [[Mayan peoples|Maya]] are similar; however, only a few buildings and ceramics remain from the early Huastec culture. This culture also reached its peak between 1200 and 1519, when it was conquered by the Spanish.<ref name="enchistoria"/>

During the 15th and very early 16th century, the [[Aztec]]s came to dominate much of the state and dividing it into tributary provinces, of Tochtepec, Cuetlaxtlan, Cempoallan, Quauhtochco, Jalapa, Misantla, and Tlatlauhquitepec. The Aztecs were interested in the area's vegetation and crops such as cedars, fruit, cotton, cacao, corn, beans and vanilla. However, the Totonacs chafed under Aztec rule, with Aztec rulers from [[Axayacatl]] to [[Moctezuma II]] having to send soldiers to quell rebellions. The Huastecs were subjugated more successfully by the Aztecs and relegated to the provinces of Atlan and Tochpan.<ref name="schmal"/>