Monte Alban

On Day 5, we walked to the local market for breakfast. 

Here we were introduced to some new food items:

Mexican hot chocolate made with water (or milk) with lots of cinnamon added!  It was served in a soup bowl accompanied by a sweet bun to dip in it.

Mexican hot chocolate serving

A Tlayuda made with a large crispy tortilla covered with refried beans, chicken, strings of Oaxaca cheese, tomatoes and avocado (or whatever else you wanted to top it with!)

A vendor offered us grasshoppers cooked in garlic but we declined.

On the street outside the market, a vendor offered us grasshoppers in various flavors.

Where did they get all these grasshoppers? And this was only one of several vendors!

After breakfast, we boarded the bus to visit the ruins of Monte Alban which are located about 6 miles (9 km) west of Oaxaca. The site sits at an elevation of 6,400 ft and is only partially excavated.  This area was inhabited over a period of 1500 years by the Olmecs, then the Zapotecs and finally the Miztecs   Each culture built on top of the previous cultures' buildings. The site was abandoned in 850 A.D. and it is believed that they moved to Mitlan. It may have been an extended drought or some high priest(s) saying they should all abandon their home for a new land. Nothing is known for sure.

The original buildings were constructed without mortar to prevent damage during earthquakes.  In 1991, one of the re-constructed buildings collapsed in an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude.  The tour guide told us the state of Oaxaca has up to 3 earthquakes/tremors per day.

Unlike Mitla where the roof was only bamboo lashed together, the roof at Monte Alban had a layer of stucco over the bamboo

Relics found in Monte Alban

One of the large carved stones

This is apparently a woman

This is an example of how the doctors drilled holes in the skull to relieve pressure on the  brain.

There is evidence that the doctors performed caesarians, as well as drilled holes in the skull.  They used a mixture of herbs to render the patient unconscious for 4 to 5 hrs to operate.

Note, this skull is normal shaped.  The Mayan culture strapped boards to the royal babies to give them elongated skulls and strapped a marble to the nose to make to baby cross-eyed to indicate royalty

The temples all faced west with the alter in the centre

Jacaranda tree with outstanding flowers

The ball court.

A view of the I shaped ball court.  2 players on each team with a rubber ball bounced off the sides of the court.  In some cultures the captain of the winning team had his head cut off as a sacrifice to the gods.

A beautiful Jacaranda tree as we exit after a 3 hour tour of the site

Only part of this site has been excavated.  The archeologists estimate there were originally 40,000 people residing in this area.  We could see mounds in the surrounding area still waiting to be excavated.  The buildings near the temples at the top of the hill housed the royalty while the rest of the population lived in the valley.  This was a very advanced population in 1200 A.D. with astronomers and doctors.

Women ruled the society, being honored for their ability to produce children.  There was evidence of an average of 8 people in a family in each home.  There beds were just woven mats on the floor.

Tombs were found beneath the houses.  When a person died, the families hired a professional mourner to cry.  The mourner's tears were collected in little cups which were buried in the tomb with the body along with all the person's jewellry, etc. The attached museum has several of these mourning cups. Unique huh?

Some stone carvings indicated defects such as humpback persons.  The oldest carvings show people with long arms and short legs, while carvings from a later period show people with short arms and long legs.