Of Oaxaca, Part the Fourth

On the morning of our departure from Oaxaca, we stopped at Monte Alban, one of the earliest known cities of the Americas. It's a beautiful location, on top of a mountain rising about 1,300 feet above the city of Oaxaca (which is itself at 5,000 feet of elevation). The site is very nicely restored, with some fascinating carvings visible and great views in all directions from the tops of the temples. It was particularly cool after having visited so many Mayan ruins in Guatemala to see this Zapotec site that pre-dated those by centuries, but still showed some important similarities to its later, southern neighbors. The Zapotecs also had a cooler name than the Mayas, but we can't really blame anyone for that.

The guy above was one of many baking in the mid-day sun and removing weeds from between the rocks on the restored temples.