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Mitla Zapotec Ruins
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Mitla: Crossroad of Mixtecs and Zapotecs
The city of Mitla, 30 miles east of the capital city, was a very important Zapotec religious center, and some unique indigenous constructions can still be seen today. The name of Mitla comes from the nahuatl word mixclán for "place of the dead". Burials at Mitla were reserved for special members of the upper class.
In the Post-Classic Period, the Zapotec lost their domain to the neighboring Mixtecs who, through warfare and marriage, established a federation of city-states in Oaxaca and turned Monte Albán, the former capital, into a necropolis. Nevertheless, the Mixtecs and Zapotec coexisted pacefully over the next few centuries. Mitla's architecture and handicraft is considered to be a blending of their respective styles . The Mixtecs also left much of their history recorded in magnificent deerskin codices, and their cultural heritage includes excellent craftsmanship in precious metals, turquoise mosaics and ceramics.
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Excerpt from the Oaxaca DVD, English soundtrack (Spanish & French also on DVD)
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Most of the indigenous constructions still standing date from the XIIth century, and unlike the pyramidal structures of Monte Albán and of most Mesoamerican civilizations, Mitla's buildings are low, horizontal masses enclosing the plazas. Inside is a maze of chambers and courtyards, all rectangular and well- proportioned. The white rock used for the constructions were quarried and hand carried by the Zapotecs from about 25 km away, and were assembled in such a way that they could slide across one another and resume their original position in case of earthquake. The walls are decorated by a characteristic mosaic of stonework called “grecas,” possibly a reference to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god common to many Mesoamerican religions.
Inside the maze: the famous "grecas" mosaics of stonework.
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It was also in Mitla that Cosijoeza, last of the Zapotec rulers, was seized by the Spanish Inquisition for presiding over "pagan" rites.
Mitla's church is located right next to the Zapotec temples. As was often the case, the Spanish conquistadors used the stones of the indigenous temple to build their church on the same site.
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