Ancient Civilizations of the Americas Lecture 12

The Rise and Fall of Monte Albán

Monte Albán IIIA 300-500 AD

•Population of Monte Albán grows to 16,500.

•Population of Oaxaca quadruples to 115,000.

•Population of the Etla arm drops – soil depletion?

•More buildings erected on leveled mountaintop, including South Plaza.

•Domain of Zapotec state diminishes with the growth of Teotihuacan – withdrawal from Cuicatlán.

•Specialization increases and a market is established at the base of Monte Albán.

Note growth of secondary centers

Monte Albán

Jalieza

Monte Albán’s foreign contacts

Lápida de Bazan from Mound X by the main plaza

Emmisary in Teotihuacano attire

Eight Turquoise

Monte Albán king Three Turquoise

Monte Albán IIIB 500-750 AD

•Monte Albán’s population reaches 25,000.

•Population of the Southern Valley collapses, centers like Jalieza, are abandoned.

•Massive construction takes place on the north and south platforms.

•All ceramic production takes place in centers with monumental construction.

Monte Albán Main Plaza – August 1965 looking North

“Ruler’s Palace” Sunken Patio on the North Platform looking north

Main Plaza looking southeast

Gee, aren’t these kids cute? (remember – midterm is next week!

Central Structure H in Main Plaza

Terrace 32

There are three

residential areas

on the East, West,

and South slopes of

Monte Albán

Zapotec Hieroglyphics

The hieroglyphic script is unique

and appears in the Valley of

Oaxaca 350 years before it

does among the Maya, at

500 BC.

“One Earthquake”

Monte Albán

Period II

Text without

pictures shows

that

it was a free-

standing script.

Zapotec Religion

Zapotec religion embraced a single creator god which had multiple manifestations

Cocijo – Storm/rain god.

Cozoli – Maize god.

Copijza – Sun god.

Belzelao – Fertility God

Cocijo is also a 65 day

segment of the sacred

260 day calendar (Piyo).

Cozoli – The Maize God

From Monte Albán period IIIA

Zapotec gods are depicted on jewelry and most frequently on funerary urns

Piquete Ziña

A bat god Fertility and Maize

Wide-Beaked Bird diety

Gods common to other Mesoamerican Cultures:

Elderly God

Sits at the center of

Cosmic cords that run

to the cardinal directions.

This is a portal to the

underworld

Xipe Totec – God of sacrificial pain

Nagualism

Tomb Lintel

Ancestor Veneration

Tomb Mural

Monte Albán IV 750-1000 AD

The Fall of Monte Albán

•Major construction at Monte Albán ceases 700 AD.

•Great plaza no longer in use by 800 AD.

•Population drops to 4,000.

•Population of the Valley of Oaxaca drops to 70,000.

•Precincts are defended by walls.

•Population expands in Valle Grande and Tlacolula, and drops in Etla branch.

•Jalieza becomes the largest site in the valley (pop. 16,000).