By Ines Keane
Two places, one listing. That is the first thing to know about Oaxaca. UNESCO inscribed the “Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán” in 1987, under criteria (i) to (iv), and treats the colonial city and the ruins on the ridge as a pair. This page takes them in turn and notes where the sources do not agree.
The city
According to Wikipedia, Oaxaca de Juárez sits in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur, at about 1,555 meters (5,102 feet). The same article gives “about 1550 m” in another section, a small difference we pass on as found. The name comes from the Nahuatl Huaxyacac, which Wikipedia translates as “among the huaje trees.” The “de Juárez” was added in 1872 in honor of Benito Juárez.
UNESCO says the Spanish founded the city, first called Antequera, in 1529, in a valley already occupied by Zapotec people. It describes a checkerboard grid of square blocks around a central plaza, an example of sixteenth-century Spanish colonial town planning. Wikipedia gives a messier record: a first Spanish settlement around 1521 to 1522, a Crown recognition in 1526 that was later reversed, the reestablishment as Antequera in 1529, and city status granted by Charles V in 1532. Its infobox says “founded 1532.” We do not choose among these.
UNESCO adds one practical detail. The city lies in a highly seismic zone, so its buildings have thick walls and stay low. Wikipedia backs this with specifics: the cathedral’s first two versions were destroyed by earthquakes, and the present one was begun in 1702 and consecrated in 1733. Our reading: the low roofline you see is a design answer to the ground, not a style choice.
Santo Domingo
Wikipedia dates the church and monastery of Santo Domingo de Guzmán to between 1555 and 1666. It says the church was turned into a stable around 1860, and that work to restore the monastery as a cultural center began in 1994. That is a long building history for one block, and a reminder that these walls have been used for several purposes.
The hill
Monte Albán stands about 9 kilometers west of the city, on high ground. Wikipedia puts the site at about 1,940 meters, rising roughly 400 meters above the valley floor. Britannica, an encyclopedia, says the position was probably chosen for defense.
UNESCO describes the site as the work of a “succession of peoples,” the Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs, over about 1,500 years, with the Zapotec capital as the main builder of the ceremonial center. Wikipedia describes it as a Zapotec center for nearly 1,000 years. Those are different framings of the same hill, and we leave them side by side.
What is on the ridge: terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds cut into the mountain, according to UNESCO. Britannica lists great plazas, truncated pyramids, a ball court called tlachtli, underground passageways and about 170 tombs. Wikipedia counts over 300 carved stones known as the Danzantes, from the earliest phase, and says the old reading of them as “dancers” is now largely discredited. They are seen instead as sacrificed war prisoners. That is a hard fact, and we give it as the article states it.
Dates in order
- About 500 BC: the site is founded, according to UNESCO and Wikipedia. Britannica instead gives the 8th century BCE for initial construction.
- About 300 BC to AD 100: the Monte Albán II phase, when the main ceremonial center was built, according to UNESCO. Wikipedia dates the same phase to about 100 BC to AD 200.
- About 850: abandonment begins, according to UNESCO. Wikipedia says largely abandoned by about 900 to 1000.
- 1529: the Spanish found Antequera.
- 1555 to 1666: Santo Domingo is built, according to Wikipedia.
- 1733: the present cathedral is consecrated, according to Wikipedia.
- 1872: the city is renamed Oaxaca de Juárez.
- 1987: the UNESCO listing.
Side by side
The founding of the city, the founding of the site, the phase dates and the abandonment dates all vary by source. Wikipedia also contradicts itself on the late Classic period, giving AD 500 to 750 in one passage and AD 500 to 1000 in another. These are differences in how scholars and writers date long, overlapping phases. They do not change what is there to see.
What kind of sources these are
UNESCO’s World Heritage listing, which is an official description; Britannica, an encyclopedia; and Wikipedia, which anyone can edit. We used no tourism board page, no museum page and no tour operator.
What we left out
Visiting hours and entry rules, which change. Visitor numbers. Festival schedules, including the July festival that Wikipedia describes. Markets and food, which deserve their own pages. Any named guide or workshop.
Quick answers
Is Monte Albán a World Heritage site? Yes. UNESCO lists it together with the historic center of Oaxaca, inscribed in 1987.
How far is Monte Albán from Oaxaca City? Wikipedia says about 9 kilometers, with the ruins to the west of the city.
Who built Monte Albán? UNESCO says a succession of peoples over about 1,500 years, with the Zapotec capital as the main builder.
Related on this site: pan-de-muerto-day-of-the-dead-bread-shapes, cochineal-oaxaca-red-dye-from-cactus-insects, hass-avocado-michoacan-mother-tree-ripening
Roam first. Shop later.