• Address: 68140 Oaxaca, Mexico
• Date of foundation: 500 BC e.
• Cost of visit: about $3
• Working hours: 8.00‒17.00

Monte Alban is one of the largest pre-Columbian settlements located in the southeastern part of the state of Oaxaca. Its capital - - is separated from the archaeological complex, which has great historical value, 9 km in east direction. The remains of ancient stone structures were erected in the central part of the Oaxaca Valley and are clearly visible from any point because they are located on a mountain ridge.

A short excursion into history

Monte Alban is considered the very first city built in Mesoamerica. This settlement was a significant economic and socio-political center of the Zapotec civilization for more than a thousand years. Around 500-750. n. e. it lost its significance and gradually fell into disrepair, and then was finally abandoned. During the colonial period of Mexican history, Monte Alban saw little repopulation.

The origin of the name remains unclear. Scientists have the following theories about this:

1. The name comes from a slightly modified Zapotec word “danibaan” - “holy hill”.
2. The ancient city was named after a Spanish soldier named Montalban.
3. The name of the city is associated with the Albanian hills in Italy.

It is not known exactly what the Zapotecs themselves called the settlement in ancient times, since historical sources relating to the period of its heyday have not survived to this day.

What is the unique Zapotec settlement?

The central part of Monte Alban was built on a hilltop, artificially leveled, at an altitude of more than 1900 m above sea level (the distance to the complex from the valley floor is 400 m). It is surrounded by several hundred artificial terraces and dozens of buildings protected by embankments, which occupy almost the entire mountain range and its spurs. To the north of the city, on the hills of El Gallo and Atzompa, there are also ruins of Indian settlements, considered part of the archaeological complex.

The central square of the abandoned city is decorated with several pyramids with flat tops covered with large slabs. We have reached our times:

• A sunken patio that once served as a swimming pool or water reservoir;
• minor fragments of the colonnade;
• ruins of buildings and tombs;
• The Dancers' Gallery is a structure where bas-reliefs depicting dancing men were discovered. It is sometimes suggested that these are killed enemies, people sacrificed, or patients of an ancient Zapotec hospital.

From the South Platform you can see mysterious building with a stepped facade, known as the Observatory. Nearby there is a ball court, which lacks the stone rings found on other pyramids, so it is rather difficult to imagine how the game took place. In one of the pyramids there is an interior room, which on the days of the solstices is completely illuminated by the sun so that not a single shaded corner remains.

Also open to tourists Archaeological Museum, which displays works of art, household items and other artifacts obtained during excavations of the settlement. Next to it there is a souvenir shop that sells masks, ceramic figurines, bracelets, beads and much more. etc., and a small cozy cafe.

The top of the hill offers amazing views, but travelers should take care of protection from the scorching southern sun before climbing.

How to get to the settlement?

From Monte Alban brings lovers of ancient civilizations tourist bus, which departs from the Hotel Rivera del Angel from 8:30 to 15:30. The fare is about $3, and you will have to return at the time strictly indicated on the ticket - 3 hours are allotted for visiting the complex. You can also order a taxi, which will cost $10-15 in both directions.

Monte Alban. General form. Monte Albán, center ancient civilization Zapotecs (600 BC 1st millennium AD), then Mixtecs (until the 16th century), located 10 km west of modern Oaxaca (Mexico). During certain periods... Encyclopedic reference book "Latin America"

Monte Alban - Historical part the city of Oaxaca and the center of ancient Indian culture Monte Albán* Historic Center of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán** World Heritage UNESCO Country ... Wikipedia

Monte Alban- (Monte Albán) a city in the south of Mexico (state of Oaxaca), in the area of ​​which in the 4th century. BC e. 16th century n. e. was political and Cultural Center first the Zapotecs (See Zapotecs), then the Mixtecs (See Mixtecs). Archaeological research at M.A.... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

MONTE ALBAN- (Monte Albán) a city in which one of the centers of the ancient culture of Mexico was located. At M.A. on artificially created terraces on the tops mountain range, dominating the valley of Oaxaca, was located political. and religious center of Zapotec culture... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Monte Alban- (Monte Albán), the main ceremonial center in Zapotec territory (Oaxaca, Mexico). The monument has a long history. Period I (600–300 BC): the first buildings are erected on the top of the hill, hieroglyphic writing, counting,… … Archaeological Dictionary

Monte Alban- (Monte Albán)Monte Alban, ancient. destroyed city in the state of Oaxaca, south. Mexico. Founded in the 8th century. BC, approximately from 1st to 8th century. was the center of the Zapotec Indians, then was occupied by the Mixtecs before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century... Countries of the world. Dictionary

Zapotecs- Indian people in Mexico (Oaxaca state). Number of people: 380 thousand people (1995). Zapotec language. Believing Catholics. * * * ZAPOTECS ZAPOTECS (Spanish zapotecas, distorted from the Aztec tsapotekatl, “cloud people”), the Indian people of Mexico, whose language ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Mesoamerican chronology- Mesoamerican chronology is the accepted methodology for describing the history of the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica in terms of named eras and periods, from the earliest evidence of human settlement to the early colonial period... Wikipedia

Oaxaca (state)- This article should be Wikified. Please format it according to the article formatting rules. This term has other meanings, see Oaxaca ... Wikipedia

ARCHEOLOGY OF THE NEW WORLD- Subject of study. The subject of research in the archeology of the New World is the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of America and the American Indians. Racially homogeneous, the American Indians represent a large branch... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

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I continue to write about my travels Mexico. Today we will go to the ruins of the city Monte Alban- the ancient capital of the Zapotecs Indian civilization and the first city of all Mesoamerica. Who misses the pyramids, but they haven’t been on the blog for a very long time, welcome!

City name Monte Alban (Monte Alban) translated means “ white mountain" I am still tormented by vague doubts about the “white” one, but the Mexicans did not deceive me about the “mountain”: Monte Alban is located on a high hill from which beautiful views to the surrounding mountains and the modern city lying at their feet.

Probably, only the laziest reader of this blog does not know that in Mexico I was bitten by either a bee or a wasp, but it is impossible not to mention this in this post. On our route, Oaxaca was the next point after , in which the same bee-wasp inflicted treacherous self-harm on me, and throughout my stay here I took antihistamines, which made me constantly want to sleep. It was in this state, when the readiness to sleep under every bush I encountered was more than decisive in me, that we went to look at the ancient city Monte Alban.

At the entrance to the archaeological complex, tourists are greeted by a guy wearing funny glasses. Upon further study of the issue, the guy turned out to be archaeologist Alfonso Caso, who in 1931 discovered an abandoned ancient city, and also developed a project for its excavation and restoration.

The beginning of the history of the city of Monte Alban dates back to 500 BC, and after 400 years it was no longer just a city, but a huge capital of the state of the Zapotecas Indian tribe. Since 500 AD. the civilization began to lose its greatness, and after another 500 years its capital was completely abandoned.

To date, only a small part of the city has been excavated, according to some estimates - about 10%. Nevertheless, the archaeological zone, open to tourists, looks impressive and is rightfully called a city. There is everything here - solid buildings, foundations of secondary buildings, squares, and even an observatory! Stones frozen in eternity flaunt against a stunning backdrop of mountains - the same blue as those around Oaxaca.

The main square of the city is Gran Plaza - surrounded by pyramids, each of which carries some special functionality. For example, the first set of steps on the left side of the photo is the back side of the stands of the ball field, which was not included in the frame, and in the pyramid, located two sets of steps on the same side of the street, there is an inner room that is illuminated on solstices. the sun so that not the slightest shadow is formed in it. This happens only twice a year.

One of the most monumental buildings is the Palace of Dancers ( Edificio de los Danzantes), whose name obviously comes from the figures of dancing people depicted on its walls. In fact, it turns out that these comrades are not dancing at all, but are writhing from physical injuries inflicted on them as punishment for committing a crime. Some had their fingers, arms, legs cut off, and some were even castrated - for treason!

Well, from the hardware, I think that’s enough - I myself don’t like long texts describing the architectural nuances of even the most interesting archaeological site, and I won’t bore you. In the same way, on the spot, I avoid running around following signs - I only observe what comes across me on the path that I choose intuitively, without any considerations. In the case of Mexican cities, my main hobby was to climb onto one of the highest pyramids, spread my mortal body over its surface and lie motionless, trying to catch some sacred energy vibrations. To be honest, I was never able to detect any vibrations, but now those very moments of peace are my best memories of the Mexican pyramids. That’s exactly how, without the unnecessary fuss inherent in tourists who are especially interested, I was able to get a feel for these places better than if I had done it with my nose to the map and intensively moving my feet. Here is one of those moments when the dream of falling asleep under a bush that day almost came true, and, as you guessed, that bush grew on top of one of the pyramids.

Now I’m thinking - this is a strange place Monte Alban... terribly relaxing! Okay, I’m a sleeper on the go, but here even Leo, who stays extremely cheerful in any life situation, refused to make unnecessary movements. While I, overcoming sleep, tried to take photos for the blog, he - the small figure on the left in the photo - barely stayed upright, just like a baby who had just learned to sit. No, there are still energy vibrations inMonte Alban, I’m telling you for sure.

And here I am - the mistress of the Mexican clouds. Please note - we were almost alone on the territory of the entire archaeological complex! Monte Alban- not the most popular tourist attraction in Mexico. For this reason, it is almost never crowded here, and this is probably why it is somehow especially good.

Seeing a rare tourist, good-natured merchants in cowboy hats quickly approach him. Without being too intrusive, they offer to buy Zapotecs figurines like those we saw in the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City, one of the most worthwhile museums in the world. Oaxacan traders have never dreamed of such revenues as in the forest of Chichen Itza, and they behave much more modestly - so much so that there is even a desire to buy these Zapotecas from them.

And finally, Monte Alban grasshoppers making love

How to get to the pyramids of Monte Alban, Mexico

The archaeological site of Monte Alban is located 9 km from the city of Oaxaca de Juarez. There are two ways to get from Oaxaca de Juarez to Monte Alban:

Purchase a transfer to a comfortable tourist bus at the Rivera de Angel Hotel at Calle de Mina 518. Buses depart every hour from 8.30 to 15.30, and back to the city every hour from 12.00 to 15.00. The round-trip ticket costs 40 Mexican pesos.

Sit in public bus, departing with conditional bus stop, located at the intersection of Calle de Mina and Calle de Mier y Teran, and for 6 Mexican pesos per person you can get to the final stop, from which you will have to walk about 3 km in not very steep mountain. The way back is exactly the same, buses run frequently.

We chose the second option of a cheaper bus, but upon exiting it we didn’t even have time to walk one kilometer - we were immediately picked up by a ride that took us to the archaeological complex completely free of charge. We happily walked the 3 km back - along the road there were excellent views of the mountains (the first few photos in this post were taken from there).

Entrance fee to the archaeological complex of Monte Alban - 57 Mexican pesos. Map of the archaeological zone in good resolution.

Monte Alban a large pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Xoxocotlan Santa Cruz municipality in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca (17.043°N, 96.767°W). The site is on a low mountain range, rising above the plain of the central Oaxaca Valley, where the northern last ETLA, eastern Tlacolula and southern Zimatlán and Ocotlan (or Valle Grande) branches meet. The state capital of today's Oaxaca City is located approximately 9 km (6 mi) east of Monte Alban.

The partially excavated civil-ceremonial center of the Monte Albana site is located on top of an artificially leveled ridge that, from an altitude of about 1,940 m (6,400 ft) above sea level, rises to about 400 m (1,300 ft) from the valley floor, in an easily defensible location. In addition to the monumental core, the site is characterized by several hundred artificial terraces, and a dozen clusters of mounded architecture spanning the entire Ridgeline and surrounding flanking surfaces. The archaeological ruins on the nearby Azompa and El Gallo hills to the north are traditionally considered an integral part of the ancient city as well.

Besides being one of the first cities of Mesoamerica, Monte Alban's importance also stems from its role as the preeminent Zapotec socio-political and economic center for about a thousand years. Founded at the end of the Middle Formative Period around 500 BC, at Terminal Formative (ca.100 BC-AD 200) Monte Alban became the capital of a major expansionist polity that dominated much of the Oaxacan highlands and interacted with other Mesoamerican regional states such as Teotihuacan to the north (Zagon 1983; Marcus 1983). The city lost its political supremacy at the end of the Late Classic (c. 500–750 AD), and was largely abandoned soon after. Minor reoccupation, opportunistic reuse of former structures and tombs, and ritual visitations marked the archaeological history of the site during the colonial period.

The etymology of the modern site's name is unclear, and tentative suggestions for origins range from the supposed corruption of the native Zapotec name to colonial-era references to a Spanish soldier named Montalbán or to the Alban Hills of Italy. The ancient Zapotec name of the cities is not known, as the abandonment occurred a century before the writing of the earliest available ethnohistorical sources.

History of research

Site plan for Monte Alban.

Visible from anywhere in the central Oaxaca Valley, the impressive ruins of Monte Alban have attracted visitors and researchers throughout the colonial and modern eras. Among others, Guillermo Dupaix explored the site in the early 19th century AD, J. M. Garcia published a description of the site in 1859, and A. F. Bandelier visited and published additional descriptions in the 1890s. The first intensive archaeological survey of the site was carried out in 1902 by Leopoldo Batres, the Inspector General of Monuments for the Mexican government under Porfirio Díaz. It was, however, only in 1931 that large-scale scientific excavations were carried out under the direction of the Mexican archaeologist Alfonso Caso. In 1933, Eulalia Guzman assisted in the excavation of Tomb 7. Over the next eighteen years, Caso and his colleagues Ignacio Bernal and Jorge Acosta excavated large areas in the monumental core of the site, and much of what is visible today in areas open to the public was reconstructed in that time. Additionally, as a result of the excavation of a large number of residential and civil-ceremonial structures and hundreds of graves and burials, one lasting achievement of the project by Caso and his colleagues was the creation of a ceramic chronology (Mont Alban phases I through V) for the period between the founding of the site in c. 500 BC until the end of the Postclassic period in CE 1521.

The study of periods preceding the founding of Monte Alban has been a major focus of prehistory and the Project on Human Ecology began by Kent Flannery of the University of Michigan in the late 1960s. Over the next two decades, this project documented the development of socio-political complexity in the valley from the earliest Archaic period (c. 8000-2000 BC) to the Rosario phase (700-500 BC), directly preceding Monte Alban, thereby leading to an understanding of the basis of the latter and the trajectory of development. In this regard, one of the main achievements of Flannery's work in Oaxaca is his extensive excavations at the important formative center of San José Mogote in the ETLA Valley industry, a collaboration project directed with Joyce Marcus of the University of Michigan.

Another important step in understanding the occupation history of the Monte Albán site was achieved with the prehistoric settlement in the Oaxaca Valley project started by Richard Blanton and several colleagues in the early 1970s. It was only with their intensive surveying and mapping of the entire site that the real extension and size of Monte Alban beyond the limited area surveyed by Caso became known. Subsequent seasons of the same project, led by Blanton, Gary Feinman, Steve Kowalewski, Linda Nicholas, and others, expanded the scope of the survey to virtually the entire valley, producing an invaluable amount of data on changing settlement patterns in the region from ancient times until the arrival of the Spanish in CE 1521.

Site history

As Blanton's surveys of the site showed, the Monte Alban hills were apparently uninhabited before 500 BC. (end of the ceramic phase of Rosario). At that time, San José Mogota was the main population center in the valley and the head of a chiefdom that probably controlled much of the northern ETLA industry. There may be more than three or four other small mainly centers controlled by other sub-regions of the valley, including Tilcajete in the southern branch of the Valle Grande and Yegüih in the Tlacolula arm to the east. Competition and war seem to characterize the Rosario phase, and regional survey data suggests the presence of an unoccupied buffer zone between the chiefdom of San José Mogota and those to the south and east. It is in the land of this non-human that at the end of the Rosario period Monte Alban was founded, quickly reaching a population estimate of about +5200 by the end of the next phase of Monte Alban Ia (ca.300 BCE). This significant increase in population was accompanied by an equally rapid decline in San José Mogota and neighboring satellite sites, making it likely that its mainly elites were directly involved in the creation of future Zapotec capital. This rapid change in population and settlement, from dispersed localized settlements to a central urban area in a previously unfulfilled area, has been called "Mont Alban Synoikism" by Marcus and Flannery in reference to similar recorded cases in the Mediterranean zone in antiquity, although that it was previously thought that a similar process of large-scale abandonment, and thus participation in the creation of Monte Alban, occurred in other large, mainly centers such as Yegüih and Tilcajete, at least in the case of the latter this now seems unlikely. A recent project by director Charles Spencer and Elsa Redmond of the American Museum of Natural History in New York showed that the instead abandoned site actually grew significantly in population during the Early and Late Monte Alban I periods (ca. 500–300 BCE and 300– 100 BC, respectively) and may have actively opposed inclusion in the more powerful state of Monte Alban.

Aerial photo of Monte Alban

By the beginning of the formative terminal (II phase of Monte Alban, around 100 BC-CE 200) Monte Alban has an estimated population of 17,200, making it one of the largest cities Mesoamerica at that time. As its political power grew, Mont Albán expanded militarily, through co-optation, as well as through outright colonization into several areas outside the Oaxaca Valley, including Cañada de Cuicatlán to the north and to the south Ejutla and Sola de Vega valleys. (Feynman and Nicholas 1990) During this period and into the subsequent Early Classic (Monte Albán IIIA phase, circa CE 200–500) Monte Albán was the capital of a large regional polity that exerted a dominant influence over the Oaxaca Valley and across much of the Oaxacan highlands As mentioned earlier, the evidence at Monte Alban suggests contacts at high level between the site's elites and those at the powerful central Mexican city of Teotihuacan, where archaeologists have identified an area populated by ethnic Zapotecs from the Oaxaca Valley (Zagon 1983). By the Late Classic (Monte Alban IIIB/IV, c. CE 500–1000) the influence of the site outside and inside the valley had declined, and elites in a number of other centers, once by the state of Monte Alban, began to assert their autonomy, including the sites, such as Cuilapan and Zaachila in Valle Grande and Lambiteque, Mitla and El Palmillo in the eastern Tlacolula arms. The latter is the focus of an ongoing project by Gary Feynman and Linda Nicolai's Chicago Field Museum (Feynman and Nicolai 2002). Towards the end of the same period (around 900-1000 AD) ancient capital was largely abandoned, and the once powerful state of Monte Alban was replaced by dozens of competing small polities, a situation that continued until the Spanish conquest.

monuments

View of the main square from the Northern platform. The south platform can be seen in the distance.

The monumental center of Monte Alban is the Main Plaza, which measures approximately 300 meters by 200 meters. The site's main civil-ceremonial and elite residential structures are located around it or in its immediate vicinity, and most of them have been studied and restored by Alfonso Caso and his colleagues. To the north and south the Main Plaza is bounded by large platforms, accessible from the square via monumental staircases. On the east and west sides the area is similarly bounded by a number of smaller platform mounds on which stood temples and elite residences, as well as one of two ballcourts known to have existed on the site. A north-south ridge of mounds occupies the center of the square and also served as a platform for ceremonial structures.

Impressive staircase leading to the south platform.

One of the characteristic features of Monte Alban is a large number of carved stone monuments found throughout the area. The earliest examples are the so-called "Danzantes" (literally, dancers), mostly in the vicinity of Building L and which feature naked men in contorted and twisted poses, some with mutilated genitals. The figures are said to represent sacrificial ones, which explains the morbid characteristics of the figures. The Danzantes has physical features characteristic of the Olmec culture. The 19th century notion that they depicted dancers is now largely discredited, and these monuments, dating from the earliest period of occupation at the site (Monte Alban I), are now seen to clearly represent tortured, sacrificed prisoners of war, some are identified by name, and may depict the leader of rival centers and villages captured by Mont Alban. (Blanton et al., 1996) More than 300 "Danzantes" stones have been recorded to date, and some of the best preserved ones can be viewed in the site's museum. There are several indications that the Zapotecs were writing and calendar notations.

Another type of carved stone is found on the adjacent J Building in the center of the main square, a building characterized by an unusual arrow-shaped shape and orientation that differs from most other structures at the site. Placed in the walls of the building are more than 40 carved slabs dating from Monte Alban II and depicting place names, sometimes accompanied by additional writing and in many cases characterized by inverted heads. Alfonso Caso was the first to identify these stones as "conquest slabs", most likely a list of places the Monte Alban elite claimed, conquered and/or controlled. Some of the sites listed on the building J slabs were previously identified, and in one case (Cañad de Cuicatlán region in northern Oaxaca) the Zapotec conquest was confirmed through archaeological surveys and excavations.

The Monte Alban site contains several pieces of evidence through the site's architecture to suggest that there is social stratification in the locality. Walls that were larger, nine meters high and twenty meters wide, were built around the settlement and would not only be used to create a border between Monte Alban and nearby settlements, but also to prove the power of elites within the community. In Scott Hutson's analysis of the relationship between commoners and elites at Monte Alban, he notes that the monumental mounds that were found at the site seemed to be spread evenly across the site, so that each house would be close enough to a mound that it could easily hold under control. Hutson also makes a note that over time the style of the house seems to have changed and become more closed to those living in the buildings, making it more difficult for information to be obtained by outsiders. These changes in the elite's ability to obtain information about the private lives of citizens would play a key role in the internal political structure of the settlement.

Many of the artifacts excavated at Monte Alban during a century of archaeological exploration can be seen at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and at the Regional Museum of Oaxaca in the ex-Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzman in Oaxaca City. The latter museum, among others, contains many of the objects discovered in 1932 by Alfonso Caso in Monte Albana Mogila 7, in the Classic Period Zapotec coffin, which was opportunistically reused in Postclassic times for the burial of Mixtec elite individuals. Their burial was accompanied by some of the most spectacular funerary offerings of any site in the Americas.

Mont Alban is popular tourist place for visitors to Oaxaca and has a small museum site mainly displaying the original carved stones from the site. The site received 429,702 visitors in 2017.

Panorama of Monte Alban from the South Platform.

Threats

The main threat to this archaeological site is urban growth, which encroaches and "threatens to expand into areas that have potential archaeological value." To complicate the situation, the administration of the site is divided between four different municipalities, making a united effort to stop the city call's invasion.

Gallery

View of the main square from the south platform, with Building J in the foreground.

• One of the steles known as dancing on the unorthodox positions of the characters presented.

  View across the main square from the South Platform, with Building J in the foreground.

  Building M as seen from the South Platform.

  Dancing stones, on the dancing square, next to the L building.

  Tomb north of the North Platform

  Creation of X on the North Platform

  Unexcavated building on the North Platform

  Stone carving, L

  View of the main square from the Northern platform

In the southeastern part of Mexico is located ancient settlement Pre-Columbian Monte Alban. It is located next to the capital of the same name in the state of Oaxaca and lies on the top of a low mountain plateau, about 1950 meters high, from which a magnificent panorama of the entire valley opens.

Monte Alban originated around 500 BC. and is considered the oldest city Mesoamerica. The city quickly became a center for the integration of tribes throughout the region and the main place for organizing their military and economic life. It soon became the capital of the powerful Zapotec state, which controlled most of the Oaxacan highlands, and remained so for over a thousand years. Its heyday lies between the 6th century BC. and 6th century AD At the peak of its development, the city's population reached 25 thousand people. The social structure of the Zapotecs had a clearly defined class character. In essence, it was a theocratic society in which the official head of state did not have full power, which was in the hands of the priests. The Zapotec religion was polytheism. Of the many deities they worshiped, the rain god Kosiko was considered the most important. They also practiced ancestor worship and believed in the origin of people from stones and trees. This mysterious civilization has accumulated large stock natural philosophical knowledge. Their achievements in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, architecture and art are not inferior to the level of the ancient Mayans or Incas. In 500-750 n. e. the city lost its importance and was soon practically abandoned.

The reasons for the decline of Monte Alban remain unclear. Scientists believe that at some point in its history, the Zapotec state was conquered by the Mixtecs, who later began to use Monte Alban as a necropolis. By 700 AD the city was completely abandoned, after some time it was repopulated, and although it lost its former significance and became very dilapidated, it nevertheless survived until the arrival of the Spaniards, who gave it to it modern name in honor of the famous conquistador Diego Lopez de Monte Alban. In the center of the city was the main square, which covered an area of ​​55 acres. It was surrounded by terraces on which stood residential buildings and palaces, surrounded by many gardens. The city also contained pyramids, places of worship, observatories, galleries and ball fields. The latter are interesting because, unlike similar Mayan structures, they do not have stone circles, and the edges of the field slope upward. This form is most likely associated not so much with the need to create places for spectators, but with the features of the game. Unlike the Mayans, the Zapotecs did not practice human sacrifice during sports competitions.

The city has many tombs and tombs. Most of them are crowned with domes and decorated with frescoes. This architectural style is considered the most perfect in the Western Hemisphere, and is evidence of the high cultural development of the civilization that created it. On the walls of the Temple of Dancers there are beautiful bas-reliefs with figures of people reproducing dance steps. A number of scientists believe that this building served as a hospital, and on the walls there is a kind of medical manual containing more than 150 illustrations of various pathologies. The other building is, perhaps, the only one in the entire city, the location of which is in no way tied to the cardinal directions. Researchers believe that there was an ancient astronomical observatory here. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that the building is oriented towards the setting points of stars from the constellations Centaurus, Southern Cross and Capella. Descendants of the Zapotecs are still found in these places, speaking the ancient language and remaining faithful to the traditional culture.