It is said that the first expeditionaries of this place were the
Olmecs, who found on these lands a depression that seemed adequate to raise their ceremonial center; torrential rains, its special topography, the confluence of two rivers and dense vegetation made it the ideal place to live. A
Huastec warrior named
Cuextécatl fought and expelled the Olmecs, withdrawing them to the coast, thus the Huastecs took possession of the place. This place gained importance and was categorized as ceremonial center, which came to satisfy the religious needs of the inhabitants of a vast region, from
Teotihuacan to the coast of the
Gulf of Mexico, and also encouraged the emergence of human settlements in the area, allowing the confluence of various ethnic groups. Other versions indicate that the first inhabitants established within the region were
Otomi groups, which settled approximately in 300 B.C.E. Later, during the 5th century, these lands were inhabited by
Totonac settlers from
El Tajín. Towards the year 1120, the region was conquered by
Huemac, ruler of the
Toltec people, which makes it a manor, five months later
Chichimec tribes appropriated the place, remaining for more than forty years, until it was reconquered by
Metlaltoyuca in 1162. Approximately in 1325 the
Acolhua tribe, led by
Tlachotla, invaded the territory and integrated it into their manor. In 1432 the territory was tributary of
Texcoco.
Nezahualcóyotl appointed the Xicotepec manor to
Quetzalpatzin. Xicotepec belonged to the Aztec strategic province of
Huauchinango, and by the sixteenth century, had either 17 or 24 subject towns. == Coat of arms ==