The archaeological sites in Oaxaca are due to the fact that Oaxaca is a multicultural state. It has a lot of cultures. Before the spaniards arrived, they had their splendor. During their splendor they built big cities in the mountains or valleys. Today we’ll visit 2 of these cities.
MONTE ALBÁN
This site is Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Its origins date back to the mesoamerican pre-classic with zapotec villages in the fertile zones of the 3 mountains that embraces.
During the post-classic the city was under Mixtec domain. Mixtecs used this area as their capital in this period.
WHERE DOES THE NAME OF MONTE ALBÁN COME FROM?
The pre-hispanic name remains unknown.
Historians think that the name comes from a soldier that owned the land in the XVI century. The last name of the soldier is believed to be Montalbán or Monte Albán.
The Mixtec name of the city is Yucucuy that means Green Mountain and in Zapotec is Daniva that means Sacred Mountain.
To know more about this place visit: MONTE ALBÁN POSTS
MITLA
This is one of the many archaeological sites of Oaxaca, but this one had an important meaning specially for the inhabitants of the city. Mitla originated in the late preclassic. And it is made out of various groups, the oldest is probably the one located in the south.
Another aspect that stands out in Mitla, are the decoration of “grecas” and cruciform tombs makes it stand out. But these decorations come from mixtecs.
WHERE DOES THE NAME OF MITLA COME FROM?
Mitla name comes from the Nahuatl word Mictlán which means “place of dead”. The name in Zapotec is Liobaa, that means “house of tombs”.
To know more about this place visit: MITLA
Now, 2 archaeological sites in Oaxaca, of the zapotec culture that you can’t miss in your next visit to Oaxaca.
DAINZÚ
The name comes from the word dannizhú that means “mountain of organs”. On the other hand the site was probably called Quiebelagayo in zapotec, this word stands for Macuilxóchitl or “5 flower”. The name is related to an important god in the practice of the ball game.
Zapotecs built this site hundreds of years before Monte Albán. Therefore this site played a very important role in the development of Monte Albán.
Also, Dainzú was widely used to play the ball game and to trade. There is evidence that points that Dainzú had trade even with Teotihuacán.
TO KNOW MORE VISIT: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF DAINZÚ
ZAACHILA
One of the archaeological sites in Oaxaca has mixed with the urbanity. This is Zaachila.
This archaeological site is considered the last capital of the zapotecs, but in the time of the spaniard conquest, it was under mixtec domain.
This place allowed crops all the year, so it is possible that this place had one of the first agricultural villages of the oaxacan valleys. As a result of the population of today inhabiting closely to the site, the extension of the site remains unknown.
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