Mitla is an archeological site and a “pueblo mágico” in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. It was the center of political and religious power of the Zapotecs at the decline of Monte Alban. And now a great destination to get in touch with the culture, history and people of Oaxaca.
WHERE DOES THE NAME OF MITLA COME FROM?
Mitla comes from the Nahuatl word Mictlán which means “place of dead”. In Zapotec it is known as Liobaa, whose meaning is “house of tombs”.
WHEN WAS MITLA FOUNDED?
The first settlements in the area emerged in the late pre-classic period of the mesoamerican region. And the oldest group of construction is possibly the southern group (I’ll explain the groups later in this post).
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF MITLA
The archaeological site of Mitla is well known for its buildings decorated with fretwork and its cruciform tombs. In fact the fretwork was of Mixtec influence. The lintels of the church group and the stream group have paintings, although they are quite deteriorated.
LOCATION OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL GROUPS
Mitla was a big city of the ancient zapotecs. The discovered parts are divided in 5 groups that have been blended into the town through the years. You can use this info if you are short of time and just want to see the best of Mitla. Get to know more and experience it on your own with our guided tours. Book now.
CHURCH GROUP
It is composed of 3 quadrangles (A,B and C), located on a north-south axis. In colonial times the quadrangles were used as stables and garbage dump, curate and church respectively.
The lintels with remains of codex-type wall painting in the quadrangle A are still preserved.
GROUP OF THE COLUMNS
It consists of 3 quadrants (D, E and F). Also located from north to south, this group stands out for its architecture and decoration. And also because here there are located the tombs 1 and 2.
Quadrant D is a palace of great architectural beauty and decoration.
It was decorated with friezes with fretwork, located mainly on the facades and exterior walls. Attached to the quadrangle D is the Hall of Columns, a large room of which the 6 columns that supported the roof stand out. In this construction there were possibly civic-administrative activities, the south facade is a great example of Oaxacan pre-hispanic architecture.
Quadrangles E and F have large courtyards. Quadrangle F houses room 21, that has fine fretwork decoration. And it was here were the tombs 1 and 2 that have a cruciform plan were found.
STREAM GROUP
Its distribution is the same as the previous ones. It is covered by recent fillings, but you can still see its walls and lintels some with decoration.
ADOBE GROUP
It is believed that it was built before those already mentioned. This place was given this name because all the buildings are made of adobe.
It is a quadrangular plaza surrounded by 4 mounds, its distribution is different, the most important mound is located to the east, which apparently was a temple or palace, the other buildings are smaller and less important, a Catholic chapel was built on the most important mound during the colonial era.
GROUP OF THE SOUTH
It is probably the oldest group, only some vestiges are preserved because it is almost totally covered by the urban invasion.
Its disposition is also different, it is similar to that of the group of the adobes.
HOW TO GET TO MITLA
The archaeological site is located 42 KM from the city, you can reach it by the Pan-American Highway, 42 km, then take the detour that after 4 km you will reach the town. We can take you to this destination, and make your experience personalized and better. Book now.
I hope this posts helps you with your next visit to Oaxaca, meanwhile enjoy more of Oaxaca in my social media.
TO LEARN MORE :
Magazine arqueología Mexicana número24 Recorrido por Oaxaca Valles Centrales guía visual.
arqueologiamexicana.mx/mexico-antiguo/los-dinteles-pintados-de-mitla