Huasteco or Son Huasteco is one of 8 Mexican son styles and is a traditional Mexican musical style originating in the 6 state area of Northeastern Mexico called La Huasteca. It dates back to the end of the 19th century and is influenced by Spanish and indigenous cultures. Usually it is played by a Trio Huasteco composed of a guitarra quinta huapanguera (a five course, eight stringed guitar-like instrument) a Jarana Huasteca (a stringed instrument related to the jarana) and a violin. Singers will often use the falsetto register. The son Huasteco is particularly noteworthy for its flamboyant and virtuoso violin parts, although the style varies from state to state. Two different dances are often danced to Son Huasteco: the Zapateado and the Huapango. Improvisation plays a strong role in the style, with musicians creating their own lyrics and arrangements to a standard repertoire.
Related genres are Son Jarocho and Fandango español.
La Huasteca is a region in the northeastern part of Mexico, comprising mountains, hill country and lowlands, centered on the drainage basin of the Pánuco River, inland from the city of Tampico. It includes parts of the states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, and Hidalgo. It is home to some 80,000 speakers of the Huastec (or Wastek) language (the Huastec people) and around a million speakers of Huasteca Nahuatl dialects. .
