Tour to Monte Alban, Arrazola and San Bartolo

Zona Arqueologica de Monte Alban

Monte Albán is the large urban center built by Zapotec culture. It is the most important archaeological area of the State of Oaxaca. Part of the LIST of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, this will be our first stop. In Monte Albán the Teotihuacana influence is appreciated in its architecture, ceramics and mural painting among other aspects. At the end of the Early Classic the link with Teotihuacán is broken and the Zapotec territorial political organization reaches the highest level of development but also of social inequality (González Licón 2011). For the Postclassic the power of Mount Albán as a hegemonic city was totally lost, and the cities of the central valleys are influenced by the advent of the Mixtec groups. Monte Albán is no exception, with this influence appreciated in the famous tomb 7 discovered by Alfonso Caso in 1932.

San Antonio Arrazola is located 10 km from the road to Zaachila. Commonly known as "Arrazola", famous for the manufacture of alebrijes: Mexican craftsmanship created by Manuel Jiménez. It is made with different types of paper or wood carved and painted with cheerful and vibrant colors, represented by jaguars, tigers, mermaids, cats and nahuales. Although today they can be made with various techniques, this community stands out for using wood carving, a knowledge transmitted from generation to generation. Visit the Museum - Workshop of Angelica Jiménez, grandson of Don Manuel, to appreciate or acquire one of these pieces of art.

Previously it was known as Zaapeche which means "Place of jaguars" belonging to the Zapotec ethnic group of the central valleys. This is a town full of deeply rooted customs and traditions, where the mysticism, the essence and the warmth that shelters a town are enclosed, where its inhabitants transmit, teach and inherit it generation after generation. This community is characterized by being the only one in the world due to its high percentage of the population that is dedicated to the elaboration of black clay pottery, a pre-Hispanic occupation dating from remote times, it is a virtue of this its knowledge and practice to elaborate utilitarian slab and decoration, there are artisans who make pieces for aesthetic purposes. There is only the church, dating from the sixteenth century, there are also vestiges of buildings that were ceremonial centers or intended for the lords.