Monte Alban Steps

Tourists walk along the stairways at Monte Alban at the ruins of the ancient Zapotec capital overlooking the city of Oaxaca. First occupied around 500 BC by Zapotecs and development began with the building of temples and palaces. At it's peak around 300-700 AD, the surrounding hills were terraced for dwellings and population was 25,000. It was a highly organized, priest-dominatea society. It was abandoned around 700-950 AD and used as burial grounds.
© Melissa Farlow 2005 - Contact