WHAT WERE THE CEREMONIAL CENTERS OF THE ZAPOTECS? - HISTORY - 2025

The main ceremonial centers of the Zapotecs were Monte Albán and Mitla; additionally, Mihuatlán, Zimatlán and Zaachila were also known centers. The pre-Columbian Zapotec civilization flourished in the Oaxaca Valley in Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence shows that this culture dates back at least 2,500 years.

The first first Zapotec capital was Monte Albán, then it was Mitla; the Zapotecs dominated the southern highlands, spoke a variation of the Oto-Zapotec language, and benefited from a cultural and commercial exchange with the Olmec, Mayan, and Teotihuacan civilizations.

Monte Alban

Monte Albán was one of the first great cities in Mesoamerica and was the center of a Zapotec state that dominated much of the territory that today belongs to Oaxaca.

The Zapotec archaeological evidence found in the ancient city of Monte Albán takes the form of buildings, ball courts, tombs, and headstones with gold jewelry finally worked.

The Zapotecs developed from agricultural communities that grew up in the valleys around Oaxaca. Thanks to their trade ties with the Olmec civilization they were able to build the great site of Monte Alban and were able to dominate the region during the classical period.

Besides Monte Albán, they had about 15 elite palaces that have been identified in the valleys of this area. The ceremonial sites of the Zapotecs display a great level of sophistication in their architecture, art, writing, and engineering projects.

List of the main ceremonial centers of the Zapotecs

Monte Alban

It is the most famous remnant of the Zapotec civilization. It is located 1200 feet above the foot of the valley; occupying about 45 hectares. Its construction is believed to have started sometime around 500 BC. C. and was inhabited for the next 1500 years.

An estimated 17,000 to 25,000 people inhabited this area. However this site has no rivers or sources of drinking water where the structures were built.

Actually, some of the stones used to construct the buildings had to be assembled in the valley by humans, as no wheels or animals were available to the Zapotecs.

It is believed that this site was chosen for its defensive attributes, as defending walls are found on the north and west sides of Monte Albán.

The Olmecs and Mixtecs also lived and used this site, but it is the Zapotecs who are most related to this area.

This site is a cultural center of humanity. There are dozens of buildings, including pyramids, terraces, burial chambers, commercial areas, markets, houses, and an observatory. There are about 170 known tombs in Monte Albán; most have not been excavated.

Among the most important buildings that can be found are the north platform, located to the right of the main square, which was the residence site of the Zapotec king and the temples of the nobility. In the hills you can also discover tombs, courtyards, cemeteries, and other temples.

Mitla

It gained prominence around 700 or 900 BC. C. It became the most important center of the Zapotecs following the decline of the capital of Monte Albán. This site continued to be inhabited until the Spanish conquest.

It is believed that its name is derived from the legend in which kings, priests, and great warriors are buried in a large chamber below the city. However this camera has not been found.

It is currently known for its giant rectangular building, the Hall of Columns, which is richly decorated in geometric reliefs; most of the reliefs found in the corridors of the buildings have quite intricate geometric designs.

Mihuatlan

It is located in the south central part of the central valleys, about 100 km from the city of Oaxaca. Its name comes from a word in the Nahuatl language that means place of the corn cob.

Its original name, Pelopeniza, refers to a Zapotec word that means spring of water; It was founded by the Zapotec Pichina Vedella.

Many ceramic artifacts have been found in the Cerro Gordo area; knives, axes, bowls and containers made of stone. There is also a structure of a bull carved out of wood.

Additionally, ancient coins, ceramic pieces, and human bones have been found from Zapotec tombs.

Zimatlan

This word originates from the Nahuatl language and means "place of the root of the bean." However, its original name in Zapotec language was Huyelachi, which means "land of flowers."

For this reason, it is believed that the Zapotecs cultivated the amaranth plant in this area; in addition to corn, maguey and nopal.

That is why it is assumed that in this site the Zapotecs could achieve a great production of white amaranth seeds instead of black ones.

This civilization was able to achieve this by applying both scientific and technological knowledge to obtain the trapping of amaranth.

Zaachila

This site is located about 6 km from the city of Oaxaca. This city was named after a 14th century Zapotec leader. Zaachila was the home of the last Zapotec princess, named Donaji. Today it is an archaeological site.

A large unexplored pyramid mound stands in the center where two tombs were discovered in 1962. These tombs are believed to have belonged to important Mixtec people.

Following the fall of Monte Albán, Zaachila became the last Zapotec capital. The capital was conquered by the Mixtecs at some point before the arrival of the Spanish.

That said, the pre-Hispanic history is not very clear. This site is believed to have reached its peak between 1100 and 1521 BC. C.

Most of the city is unexplored as excavation is hampered by the fact that most of the mounds have structures and tombs in them.

In 1971 new excavations found two graves registered with the numbers three and four. Paint remains can be found in one of the tombs; They represent skulls and crossbones on a red background.

Most of the tombs of the place are decorated with stucco figures that represent the world of the dead according to the culture of the Mesoamerican indigenous people. Pottery objects from these cultures have also been found inside the tombs.

References

1. Zapotec civilization (2013) Recovered from ancient.eu
2. Monte Albán, the most famous zapotec temple (2015) Recovered from actiyamonth.com
3. Mitla (2015) Recovered from ancient.eu
4. Miahuatlan historical town hall museum at Ecotourism. Recovered from Exploraingoaxaca.com
5. In Zimatlán, Oaxaca, a pre-Hispanic plant reappears: amaranth. Recovered from mexicodesconocido.com.mx
6. Zaachila. Recovered from wikipedia.org
7. A day in Oaxaca = two thousand years: Monte Alban and Zimatlan Valley in Travel. Recovered from mexconnect.com.