Monte Alban is a magnificent Zapotec city, probably founded around 500 BC. By 200 BC it was populated by at least 30,000 people in a strictly stratified society. By the time the Spaniards arrivied, the city had long been abandoned. Some of the most interesting features are:
The Ballgame, orginally covered with stucco painted red
The huge Central Plaza, once paved with white and red stucco
Massive amounts of art and jewelry recovered from various tombs and other buildings featuring jade, shell, silver, and gold.
The Temple of the Dancers
The Water Works, a technological wonder of irrigation
