Photos: Monte Alban - Oaxaca Valley's pre-european power center

The following photos are from our visit to Monte Alban. Located on a low mountain above Oaxaca, it was the center of religious and political power for more than 1,000 years. The construction dates back to 500 B.C. for unknown reasons (drought, environmental destruction/resource depletion...), it's grip on power begun to unravel about 500-700 A.D. It was largely uninhabited when the Spaniards arrived, though the valley was full of many smaller communities of Zapotecs, Mixtecs, and others. There were at least 16 distinct, tonal languages in the valley at that time.

Monte Alban is an impressive, expansive, overwhelming place. It was the home of elite and the intellectuals, and used for ceremony, burials, astronomy, administration, ritual, etc, and relied for centuries on tribute from the many communities in the valley below.

Amy, Liesl and Jeremiah, with about half of the complex visible behind them.

This is a massive set of stairs above the "northern plaza", the size
of at least 6-8 football fields.

This is detail of one of the dozens of structures - tombs, altars,
astronomical buildings - that were constructed at Monte Alban.
Even more amazing - much of this rockwork throughout the entire
complex during its heyday was covered in white stucco/fresco, and
then painted with colorful images of people, animals, stories and
exploits, etc.

We rather randomly met this fellow, holding a "chicharra" (cicada, we think)
the insect below. He was a super-interesting, nice guy. He came from a mountain
community that regularly ate these bugs - fried in oil. He explained how they
harvest them from high in trees - with a natural glue that they placed on the
end of long, light, narrow stick.

This was a big bug! We put the chicharra in back in a bush when
we were done talking about it.

This was just another colorful beetle-like creature that we found
near the chicharra. About the size of a half dollar. We were told
they bite!

The family, atop one of the elevated areas, with much of the
complex visible behind us.