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Monte Alban, just out side of Oaxaca Mexico, was built by the Zapotec people around 500 B.C. At the time it was one of the largest cities in Mesoamerica. The Zapotecs apparently leveled a mountain top to put this city on top of it. What remains of Monte Alban is the temples and ceremonial structures. The private homes continued down the sides of the mountain and have not been uncovered. Structures like Monte Alban also cover many of the nearby hills and probably only 10% of the cities scale is currently apparent, but why the Zapotec were know as the “Cloud People” by their neighbors is pretty apparent. The Zapotec were peaceful traders and with the men gown for years at a time it is believed that the society was matriarchal. Eventually the city grew two large and the nearby valleys were over farmed. The Zapotecs remained in the area and much of the population of the area speaks Zapotech at home.

See more travel photography from Monte Alban