A structure at Monte Alban
The city of Oaxaca, Mexico, has many striking qualities that give it an otherworldly vibe. There are the folk art traditions of embroidery, weaving, carving and painting, in styles unique to the region. There is the food, such as the famous mole sauce. But Oaxaca truly takes your breath away with its archaeological sites. While not as famous as the Yucatán's Chichén Itzá temple complex, or as celebrated as Mexico City's Teotihuacan, Oaxaca's ruins chronicle the ingenuity of ancient civilizations and offer a glimpse into some compelling cultural practices.
Instructions
1. Visit the main attraction, Monte Albán. You can join a tour or you can take the bus that departs several times per day from the Hotel Meson del Angel on Calle Mina 518. Tour guides are usually available for hire at the site, though not all of them speak English. The Zapotec center of Monte Albán is situated on the outskirts of the city, covering a flattened mountain top that seems to blend into the clouds. The Zapotecs chose this site and developed it with the area's topography in mind. They believed that their plateau was a meeting point between their earthy existence and the heavens above, and that this union of man and nature represented the ultimate divinity. The remains and relics here reveal glimpses of daily life dating back to 500 B.C.
2. Try something a little different and venture out to Mitla. Tour packages sold in the center of town include itineraries that stop at Mitla, or you can grab a bus at the second class bus station. Mitla lacks Monte Albán's size and scope, but is singularly striking in its ornamentation. Five edifices were built at this site, each one dedicated to a significant Zapotec leader. Among the architectural motifs at Mitla are long panels filled with jagged wave-like patterns and walls bordered with a mesmerizing squared-off spiral design. These distinctive elements are called grecas. The repetition of these grecas gives Mitla a meditative ambiance that echoes of its mystical past.
3. See an excavation-in-process at Yagul. No tour packages include Yagul, so you'll have to take a collective taxi, rent a car or hire a driver. The setting of the ruins of Yagul makes it an evocative, magical place. The surrounding peaks and valleys are jagged and create a dramatic backdrop for the imposing walls of the hilltop fortress that was built to protect a collection of temples. Their crumbling facades are carved with detailed hieroglyphics. From the crumbled remains of the acropolis, you can take in the panoramic view of Tlacolula Valley. In the Sunken Patio, there is the ominous Tumba Triple (Triple Tomb). Built in 600 B.C., the tomb is adorned with elaborate carvings of skulls. They are at once beautiful and ominous, a reminder of the cultures that ruled the region and their dramatic, bloody fall from power.
4. Put it all in context. The treasures unearthed in Monte Albán's Tomb Seven are on permanent display at the Centro Cultural de Santo Domingo, a regional museum adjoining the ornate Santo Domingo Cathedral. A series of rooms, carved out of green cantera stone, hold treasures as well as everyday objects, displayed thematically with informative literature (in Spanish). Exhibits show objects of adornment, items for rituals, medical practices, craft traditions and the famous Danzante carvings. Throughout the building, you catch glimpses of the sprawling Ethnobotanical Garden.
5. Venture onward. Consider some of the more minor points of interest. San Jose Mogote's ruins might not be as dramatic, but they date back 3,000 years. There is a community museum with pieces excavated from the site. The highlights of Zaachila are Tomb 1 and Tomb 2 which, unlike the tombs of Monte Albán, visitors are permitted to enter. At Dainzu, the best sights are in Building A, which houses the Gallery of Monumental Sculpture, a series of stone carvings. Accessing these sites requires taking buses, taxis or renting a car.
Tags: Santo Domingo, this site