Mighty Monte Albán

At what point does a building go from being a building to a ruin? I only ask because this morning we take the short trip out of town to visit the ancient ruins of Monte Albán, and on first impression the manicured lawns, clearly defined streets and reservoirs make the site look anything but dilapidated.  With a decent blow up mattress, a rug or two and a kitchen table you could happily set up home here tomorrow.

Hopefully this gives an impression of how well preserved this ancient Zatopec settlement is. This is partly explained by the fact that the mountain upon which Monte Albán sits was levelled by the locals in order to build their city and that this process alone took 300 years to complete.

Think about that for a second; three centuries of groundwork before a brick was laid. This is an impressive level of detail. Or, maybe they were just incredibly slow. Either way, the legacy is here for all to see and enjoy.

It really is one of Mexico’s most spectacular archeological sites. Over 2300 years. old with the remains of temples, palaces, tall stepped towers, an observatory and even a ball court, all arranged in orderly fashion, with wonderful 360° views over Oaxaca, nearby valleys and distant mountains.

Our guide, who is proudly Zatopec, cheerfully tells us that he’s been showing folk around Monte Albán since he was a teenager, given that he is about 200 years old we can only imagine how often he’s clambered around the place. He’s actually too immobile to climb any of the steps so we only really get half a tour (for which he’s happy to charge full price). Nice bloke though.

Some interesting nuggets that he imparted:

·    Hieroglyphics and dates carved into the walls suggest that the Monte Albárn elite were probably the first to use a developed writing system in Mexico.

·    The ancient Zatopecs revered people who were cross-eyed. Youngsters were forced to stare for hours at an object held in front of their noses to encourage the condition.

·    Masturbation wasn’t something to be ashamed of (pictured above is someone enjoying a bit of ‘me time’).

·    In the more important tournaments held in the ball courts the victors would often be sacrificed as an offering to the Sun gods. I’m no ball court coach, but my advice would be “play to lose guys, play to lose”.

This is what's left of the ball court. The stands eerily resembling Arsenal's Emirates stadium on a midweek match night.