Monte Alban

This past weekend, Christian and I visited Monte Alban, the earliest metropolis in Mesoamerica and an archeological wonder. In a wonderful example of how small the world really is, our guide Jaime has cousins who work at the restaurant La Carte de Oaxaca in Seattle where Christian and I ate on our first date. The seeds for this trip might have been planted that night...

Twenty minutes outside the city stands regal Monte Alban, which was built by the Zapotecs around 500 BC and mysteriously abandoned by 1000 AD. The mountaintop was leveled to construct temples, ball courts and sacrificial mounds. At its apex, the city held 40,000 people. Los Dazantes, "the dancers" depict humans in stone bas-relief now thought to be captives from vanquished tribes.  The Mixtecs later used the city, as did the Mayans, but for some reason, the Spanish left it virtually untouched (one of the few places they didn't raze).

A particular note of interest:  During Monte Alban's history, three women governors ruled the city.

Tomb #7 (on of 200) was opened in 1900's and became the equivalent of the discovery of King Tut´s tomb in the Americas. This death mask of a nobleman made with turquoise was the most intricate treasure found among all the the gold, silver and ceramics.  My first skull for the upcoming el Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.