Site · Mexico
Monte Albán
Zapotec, 500 BCE–900 CE
Monte Albán is the Zapotec capital on a levelled mountaintop above the Oaxaca Valley, founded around 500 BCE and dominant until about 900, later reused by the Mixtecs for burials. Its plaza, platforms and tombs make it one of the earliest cities in the Americas.
| Country | Mexico |
|---|---|
| State / province | Oaxaca |
| Dates | 500 BCE–900 CE |
| Status | Archaeological zone and UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Managed by | Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) |
| Access | Open to the public with a site museum |
| Coordinates | 17.044, -96.767 (public site) |
What was found
The Danzantes carved slabs, early hieroglyphic inscriptions, grey-ware urns from tombs, Tomb 7's Mixtec gold and turquoise treasure, ballcourts and the observatory Building J are the principal discoveries. The Tomb 7 treasure is displayed in the Oaxaca regional museum.
Rules
Nothing may be collected, dug, moved or removed at Monte Albán; it is a protected archaeological site managed by Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), and taking artifacts, stones or samples is an offence. All pre-Hispanic remains are property of the Mexican nation under the 1972 federal monuments law, and export is prohibited. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Monte Albán" (Site). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/sites/monte-alban. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-monte-alban,
title = {Monte Albán},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/sites/monte-alban}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.