Explore: Zapotec Architecture

The Zapotec civilization (Be'ena'a (Zapotec) "The People"; c. 700 BC–1521 AD) is an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley

The Zapotec /ˈzæpətɛk/ ZAP-ə-tek languages are a group of around 50 closely related indigenous Mesoamerican languages that constitute a main branch of

to Mitla. It was established as a sacred burial site by the Zapotec, but the architecture and designs also show the influence of the Mixtec, who had become

(Spanish pronunciation: [waˈxaka ðe ˈxwaɾes]), or simply Oaxaca (Valley Zapotec: Ndua), is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Mexican state

and the Zapotec at Monte Albán. During this period, the first true Mesoamerican writing systems were developed in the Epi-Olmec and the Zapotec cultures

native Zapotec name to a colonial-era reference to a Spanish soldier by the name Montalbán or to the Alban Hills of Italy. The ancient Zapotec name of

and varying levels of decipherment include the Olmec hieroglyphs, the Zapotec script, and the Isthmian script, all of which date back to the 1st millennium

Mesoamerican architecture is the set of architectural traditions produced by pre-Columbian cultures and civilizations of Mesoamerica, traditions which

reused by the Mixtec during the Postclassic period. By this time, the Zapotec people's political power was divided among various city-states, including

those of their neighbors and successors but more intricate. El Tajín The Zapotecs were one of the earliest Mesoamerican cultures and held sway over the Valley