Background
Inhabited over 1,500 years by Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs, the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the mountain and are the symbols of a sacred topography. UNESCO says the nearby city of Oaxaca, built on a grid, is a good example of Spanish colonial town planning, its solid buildings adapted to an earthquake-prone region.
Monte Albán stands on a levelled ridge about 400 m above the valley floor, 9 km from the city. Founded around 500 BC, it was the Zapotec capital for nearly a thousand years and was largely abandoned after AD 750; Alfonso Caso's excavations from 1931 reconstructed much of what is visible.
- c. 500 BCThe Zapotecs begin levelling the mountaintop
- 100 BC–AD 200Monte Albán dominates the Oaxacan highlands
- c. 750The city loses its pre-eminence and is largely abandoned
- 16th c.The Spanish lay out Oaxaca on a grid
- 1931Alfonso Caso begins the excavations
- 1987Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1Monte AlbánThe Great Plaza, the ball court and the tombs on the ridge; the GoGo guide is there at 8:30.
- 2Santo DomingoThe gilded church, the convent museum and the ethnobotanical garden.
- 3Zócalo and CathedralThe arcaded main square and Calle Alcalá's galleries.
- 4MarketsBenito Juárez and the smoky grill hall of 20 de Noviembre.
- 5JalatlacoPainted streets and the Textile Museum.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Monte Albán and the City
From the GoGo Oaxaca guide · Open the Oaxaca Guide ›
- 08:30Monte Albán3 hrsThe Zapotec capital on the ridge.
- 12:30Tlayudas at 20 de Noviembre90 minThe grill hall.
- 15:00Zócalo and Cathedral1 hrThe arcaded square.
- 16:15Galleries on Calle Alcalá1 hrThe pedestrian street.
- 19:30Mole Negro Dinner90 minOaxaca's great dish.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: May, Nov–Mar. Rainy season Jun–Sep.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
