Monte Albán

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First to the Thursday market in Etla, a fraction of the Tlacolula market, but delightful, with the most beautiful local vegetables and fruit, and pottery. Then the entire afternoon on the mesa of Monte Albán, one of Mesoamerica's most incredible Zapotec ruins. Words and even the images don't do it justice; the expansive space and massive structures are stunning rock constructions, perched on the top of a mountain that dominates the valley below. It exhudes a power and a mystery, 'facts' are few, and even they are open to dispute. A thunder storm was moving in from the west, adding to the drama.

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Photos

Monte Albán
Tombs 103 and 104

Looking North
from atop the South Platform

Danzantes
Some of the low-relief carved stones, known as the 'dancers' around the base of Building L