Zona Arqueológica de Monte Albán

Monte Albán is defined by a massive, flattened mountaintop that creates a high, level platform above the surrounding Oaxaca Valley. This archaeological site served as the capital of the Zapotec civilization for over one thousand years, beginning around five hundred BCE. The builders achieved this space by leveling a mountain ridge, an engineering feat that allowed their city to function as a major political and economic center for tens of thousands of residents.