Monte Albán
Zapotec capital on a levelled ridge above Oaxaca, with a vast plaza, ball court and carved stelae.
Monte Albán was founded around 500 BC on a ridge levelled by hand some 400 metres above the floor of the Oaxaca valley, where its three arms meet. It grew into the capital of the Zapotec state and, at its height between roughly AD 300 and 700, supported a population in the tens of thousands spread over the hill and its terraces. The city was largely abandoned by about AD 800, although burials continued to be made among its ruins for several centuries afterwards.
The Great Plaza, some 300 metres long, is enclosed by stepped platforms and pyramids and entered from the North Platform. Building L holds the carved slabs known as the Danzantes, while Building J, set at an angle to everything around it, carries reliefs naming conquered places. A sunken ball court lies on the eastern side, and well over a hundred tombs have been excavated across the hill. The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987 with the historic centre of Oaxaca.
Highlights
- The Great Plaza, levelled from the hilltop and ringed by pyramids
- Carved Danzantes slabs set into Building L
- Building J, angled to the plaza and carved with conquered places
- UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, with a site museum at the gate
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