Monte Alban

Similar in nature to the Teotihuacan Pyramids, Monte Alban, just outside Oaxaca, was the capital of the Zapotec people until 950AD. The impressive aspect of these ruins was how it was built on top of a steep hill with the peak flattened and terraced to accommodate the expansive site. There were a lot of artifacts preserved on this site particularly stone reliefs that remain detailed and clear – its impressive to get to view the ancient workings still present today. In common with all such sites there is also a well-preserved ball court. Shaped like a capital ‘I’ the rules of the game differ depending on who you talk to (few scriptures have been found to back anything up), however a consistent ‘fact’ is that the captain of the winning team is sacrificed which was seen as an honour at the time (a tongue in cheek reason why Mexico don’t win many competitions)! After the hot and dusty walk of the ruins it was back to the hotel for us and a couple of hours in the pool, which was quite chilly but the children insisted we join them in the water! A couple of Mezcal based margaritas helped!Read more