We are in our third day in the Oaxaca (wha-hock-a) area and haven’t yet visited the city. We have visited the nearby pre-colonial sites of Monte Alban and Mitla. Zapotec, Olmec and Aztec cities were much like the city-states of ancient Greece. As one began its decline another was ascending to become the political and religious center of the area.
Monte Alban sits atop a hill with a wonderful vista of the surrounding countryside. The first inhabitants began to flatten the hilltops around 500 BC in order to build their temples and palaces. As the city grew it began to dominate more and more of the area, reaching its zenith between 300 and 700AD. Skulls have been found with holes drilled into them, thought to be evidence of advanced medical treatments. Shortly thereafter, for reasons unknown, Monte Alban was abandoned, leaving behind an interesting array of stepped buildings with alternating vertical and sloping sides. The temples, palaces, ball courts and tombs surround a vast plaza on several different levels. The entire site is situated along a north-south axis showing their awareness of celestial events. Several interesting columns or stele are still in place while others are found in the nearby museum. Some depict battles won while others indicate ritual sacrifices and castrations to appease the gods.
Mitla couldn’t be more different from Monte Alban. Mitla rose in importance as Monte Alban was being abandoned and became the most important Zapotec religious center in the two centuries before the Spanish colonization. The current town surrounds the site and a three-domed church built by the Spanish sits upon the existing cluster of buildings. High priests are believed to have sacrificed humans by removing their still beating hearts. Not much remains today except for its detailed stone mosaics.
The area’s current claim to fame is the production of mezcal. Like its cousin tequila mezcal is made from the maguey plant. The taste is different and mescal is the one with the worm in the bottle. We peeked in on the manufacturing operation and I guess it is good that the alcohol content is so high. It doesn’t appear to be a very sanitary process. After tasting the various varieties we bought a bottle flavored with passion fruit. For medicinal use, of course.
