Monte Alban-DAY THREE & FOUR

This spectacular example of urban development in Mesoamerica was founded in about 500-450 BC, and, by the end of what archaeologists call Monte Albán I (500-100 AD), was a large economic, political, and religious center with about 17,000 inhabitants. By its "Golden Age" (100-600 AD) the city grew to a population of about 25,000. The hillside below the ceremonial center was covered with more than 2,000 terraces for houses and farm plots, and the valley below held an estimated population of 100,000. This was the Zapotec capital city located on a mountain about 1300 feet above the valley floor , even though it was somewhat remote and had no natural source of water. It did have a magnificent view of the valley although no doubt its strategic value was more significant. 
 




The name Monte Alban was given to the area in the 16th
Century after the Spanish landowner's surname "Montalvan"

Bickmore's looking for a tennis court, but in Monte Alban 
ballgames of a different kind were played.  Figurines and a
stone monument discovered here were radiocarbon- dated
as far back as 1250-1150 BC.  The games were played with a
hard rubber ball, weighting 6 to 9 pounds.  If you would like
to know more http://www.monte-alban.com/ballgame.htm




Over 4000 years ago, a village-dwelling people, probably
from the Olmec colonies moved into the Oaxaca valleys.
The time period of the Jaredites

Then, around 500 BC (1500 years later) a new people the
zapotecans moved into the region



We meet Sabino Santiago at the ruins, his grandparents once
farmed this ground and while plowing one day discovered
they were farming on top of the ruins.  I bought this clay
replica of a ball player which he had sculpted

 

Sabino was not a guide, but after finding out that we were
President of a Mormon Temple he stayed with us much of the day.
He has read the Book of Mormon and 4 years earlier a
group of BYU archaeologists spent a summer at the site.
He and Robert hit it off and seemed almost like brothers
Sabino is a sculptress and because of his heritage is
allowed to sell his pieces in the area of the ruins



Sculptures reflect contact with the Maya, and architectural ideas
were borrowed from Teotihuacan around 300 AD



The oldest known structure at Monte Alban is know as
The Gallery of the Dancers. It depicts naked warriors,
ejaculation, childbirth, dwarfism, captives, the sick
or dead with contorted body positions.
Pure Olmec



The Zapotecans (500 BC) began the monumental task of
 leveling the top of this 1,600 meter high mountain

 

By the beginning of the 13th century,
the Mixtec expanded their territory and
reoccupied the Territory.  The Mixtec left
many tombs with famous treasures.

 

The ball game was extremely violent. Players wore heavy padding. Even so, there were often serious injuries, and occasionally death. Some bruises were so bad that they would have to be cut open, and the blood squeezed out. This would have certainly been significant in the rituals of sacrifice and bloodletting that accompanied the Aztec ballgame. On some occasions post-game ceremonies featured the sacrifice of the captain and other players on the losing (some references say "winning") side. The association of the game with sacrifice and death was particularly marked on the Gulf coast. A loser's skull might be used as the core around which a new rubber ball would be made.

The city enjoyed two golden eras 100 BC to 100 AD
(the time of Lamanities) and again in 600 AD to 800 AD
The inhabitants terraced the surrounding hillsides
to support a population of close to 35,00 people

It also had two eras of decline.  The 1st around 200 AD
and the 2nd 800 AD.  Many human sacrafices were
offered during this time. (Mormon 4:21)



Monte Alban has a maze of subterranean passage ways,
rooms, drainage and water storage systems
Our friend Santigo as a child has been in all of them.

 

Human Sacrifices were preformed here
A.D. 363 (B of M)

One was offered on this day in 2011

  

All of the city has not yet been unearthed.  You are looking
at more dwellings, tombs and more treasures of Monte
Alban to be discovered



Sun Dial

Very little of the original structures at Monte Alban remain.
Most of the original buildings either had newer construction
layered on top of the older structures, or were dismantled so
that their stones could be reused for other buildings.

Statement made on most websites
"Monte Alban was left uninhabited for
unknown reasons"
HEY FOLKS!! READ THE BOOK OF MORMON
Olmec Colonies 4000 years ago
The Jeredites?
The Zapotecans 500 BC
The Nephites?
Could the warrior above be
Coriantumr or Shiz !!