Monte Alban, Oaxaca

Sunday, 13 February 2011 06:09

Oaxaca is pronounced in Spanish oiraca. This historic site is Mixtec.

They got chased out by the Spanish and Zapotec later settled by decorating with the "style" Zapothèque. The Mixtec and Zapotec are Maya. They are the builders of the temple Monte Alban (White Mountain).

They needed 200 years erease the top of the mountain and again 1200 years to build the temples.

Why the temple is called Monte Alban? Before the mountains where they built the temple was all white because there were white flowers.

Why temples are built on top of a mountain? It is to be closer to the gods. Mixtecs built a temple like this:

They built that way because they had new techniques for building and these techniques were stronger.
Long ago a French explorer discovered the temple and there were more than 5,000 steles and when the Mexicans arrived there were only 20.

The temple had been sacked but he remained full of jewelry. The jewels are now in museums.
On site there is an observatory that is used to determine when they will harvest or when they will plant. When the sun aligns with its rays the temples is the time of planting or harvesting.

There was also a place where Mixtec salvaged water. It was an earthen pond and when it was the rainy season from May to October they were recovering the water, because in Mexico when it rains, it rains very much.

There was also a game where when you won, you sacrificed yourself because you were considered as a god. It was an honor for Mixtec or Zapotec to be sacrificed. This game was played with a 1 Kg rubber bullet. They had hit it with their hip, elbow, their shoulder or knee. The ball must go into a ring. You should not miss if you break the body part where you pulled!

At Monte Alban there are beautiful tombs because they have kept their color and other less because they have lost their colors.
We joined a tour to visit the site. The gentleman of the visit spoke French but did not spocke French because there were plenty of other tourists! There were vendors who claimed to have taken stones from the grave 7 (the prettiest), or others who said they had masks do with the stones of the temple. That's not true!

That day was very hot! It took time for us to walk in the ruins. We also had a beautiful view of the temple.

Mallori :-)