Monte Alban

Monte Albán is a Zapotec capital built on a leveled mountaintop about 400 meters above the Oaxaca valley, near Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, a short drive southwest of Oaxaca city in southern Mexico. Occupied from about 500 BCE until roughly 800 CE, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The core is the Gran Plaza, a long rectangular space framed by platforms, pyramids and ceremonial buildings such as the North Platform, South Platform and Building J, an unusual arrowhead-shaped structure aligned differently from its neighbors and thought to have served as an observatory. The Ball Court, stone stelae and the carved Danzantes, reliefs of figures once interpreted as dancers and now seen as captives, show the city's early writing and calendar. Several tombs on the hillside have been excavated and yielded jewelry and ceramics now held in Oaxaca museums, and a small site museum near the entrance has carved stones and interpretation panels. Walking the full plaza and climbing a few platforms takes about two to three hours. The best photo vantage is the top of the South Platform, which gives a view along the plaza and over the surrounding valleys, and the North Platform is a good place for the afternoon light. Early morning is the best time for cool air and few visitors, because tour buses from Oaxaca arrive from around 10:00 AM. The altitude of roughly 1,900 meters and exposed stone mean that sun protection and water are important. The site is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with an adult admission of about $95 MXN, and local guides are available at the entrance. Many visitors combine the site with the nearby markets, crafts villages and Mitla in a day trip.