Both the historic center of Oaxaca with its magnificent Spanish cathedral and the ancient mountain top temple complex of Monte Albán are recognized in this UNESCO world heritage site. I enjoyed a delicious meal—including the tres insectos tostada below—in the city center shortly after arriving, walked the cobblestone streets and gawked at the gold covered interior of the church. This is a beautiful and culturally rich city to explore. After charging overnight at my hotel, the next day I drove up the mountain and explored the grand temple complex, climbing up the steep stairs at each end to get 360° views of the city and valley.
The Zapotecs built Monte Albán around 500 BC, carving out the grand plaza above off the lone mountain on the valley floor. Before moving up here from the gulf coast, they invented an early form of glyphic script or writing. Around that time, their society transformed from egalitarian to hierarchical. Given that the top of their society were priests with special powers to interpret the cosmos and calendars, I imagine that some men controlled the power of literacy, using it to rule. When the Zapotec came here they called themselves the cloud people and conquered the neighboring villages. Their elaborate decorative carvings tell the stories of those conquests. This was the center of their empire for well over 1000 years, and the planned city was used for burials and ceremonies for centuries afterwards.
Perhaps because literacy may have a guarded secret of the elite, Zapotec script has not been deciphered. But the meaningful figures carved into the pyramids here belie the label ‘pre-historic’ often used against Native Americans. From 200 to 500 CE, the Zapotecs were trading mica for obsidian with Teotihuacan and maintained quarters there. They also traded with the Mayans, and their skills and script were used and adapted by the Aztecs. So these ancient cultures practiced diplomacy as well as war and carried on extensive trade relations for centuries. Simply because colonizers erased much of their culture does not mean that the natives in the Americas were all illiterate or uncivilized; the scale and sophistication of this complex stands in testimony of their centuries of accomplishments.
