At the top of everyone's visit to Oaxaca is a must-do trip to the nearby ruins of Monte Alban. This is one of the most important achaeological sights in all of Mexico.
Located a very short drive from our house, up some steep roads, and atop a hillside, Monte Alban is a very popular spot. There were a bunch of buses, vans and cars already there, and quite a few people at the entrance. We paid our fee to enter, which included access to the grounds as well as the small museum.
The grounds are massive. This was a very important ancient sight, and there is a lot to see. There is a lower section that rings around an elevated plaza on the top of the hill. The views of the neighboring cities and villages is incredible. You can see a 360 degree view including into Oaxaca, across to the other ruins site of Atzompa, and more.
While the lower level was impressive, the real finds are in the upper plaza area. The temples are huge. The buildings are very complex. The arrangement of the temples is determined by geographical points of east/west/north/south.
Many of the temples are accessible by climbing the steep stairs. It was said that the stairs are so steep so as to keep the visitors 'reverent'. I can only imagine how these short people were able to maneuver up these very steep steps.
Each temple and building was more impressive than the next. This sight is simply incredible. There may be other ancient sights with larger temples and larger areas, but the collection of buildings at Monte Alban is incredibly impressive as a whole.
We visited the small museum, where they placed some of the important stones with carvings in order to protect them from the elements. Beyond the museum is the famous tomb 7, where the wealth of its contents are prominently displayed in the Cultural Museum in Oaxaca.
When we finished touring Monte Alban, we had no way to get back to town. So, we started walking down the hill. Within 5 minutes, a taxi drove by and the friendly face of our taxi drive from this morning asked if we wanted a ride back. Of course! It was already very hot, and the walk would have killed us.
Instead of going back to our house, we had him deliver us to a neighborhood restaurant - Los Alebrijas. This is named after the famous colorful wood carvings from the Oaxacan area. We had some good laughs with the waiters as we tried to figure out the menu, and enjoyed our meal before the short walk back to our house.
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