Aia kahi o nā puʻu i waenakonu o ke awāwa ʻo Oaxaca kahi i pale aku i kekahi o nā kūlanakauhale kahiko loa o ka ʻāina ʻAmelika.
ʻO ke kūkulu ʻia ʻana o nā hale lehulehu a me nā hale haipule mua, me nā hana ʻē aʻe, e like me nā lānai, nā pā, nā pā, nā hale aliʻi a me nā hale kupapaʻu i hoʻomaka ma kahi o 500 BC, ʻoiai ka piʻi ʻana o Monte Albán ma waena o 300-600 AD. i ka wā i ʻike ai ke kūlanakauhale i kahi ulu nui i nā wahi āpau; ʻO kahi laʻana o kēia ʻo ka moʻomeheu moʻomeheu, me nā kumu i piʻi i luna, i hoʻokū ʻia e nā luakini i kūkulu ʻia no ka hoʻohanohano ʻana i nā akua o ka mahiʻai, ka momona, ke ahi a me ka wai. ʻIke ʻia i ka hoʻolālā kīwila nā hale ʻano hale hanohano, nā keʻena luna hoʻomalu o nā aliʻi a me nā luna; ma lalo o nā pā o kēia mau pā i kūkulu ʻia ai nā hale kupapaʻu pōhaku no ke koena mau o ko lākou poʻe noho.
ʻO ke koena o ka heluna kanaka i hoʻokumu ʻia i ka pili o nā wahi ākea. ʻO nā hale me nā hana maʻalahi me nā kumu pōhaku a me nā paia adobe. Ma loko o ke kūlanakauhale he mea hiki ke hoʻokumu ʻia nā kaiāulu like ʻole, e like me ke ʻano o ka hana a ka poʻe e noho ana, e like me ka potera, nā lapidaries, nā mea ulana, nā mea kālepa, a pēlā aku. Ua koho ʻia i kēia manawa uhi ke kūlanakauhale i kahi o 20 km2 a ua hōʻea ka heluna kanaka i kahi o 40,000 poʻe.
Hōʻike nā mea āpau ua hoʻokō ʻo Monte Albán i kona hoʻonui ʻia ma o ka lanakila ʻana o ka pūʻali koa, ka hopu ʻana o nā luna hoʻokūkū a me ka uku ʻana i nā ʻauhau mai nā lāhui pio. Ma waena o nā huahana i hōʻiliʻili ʻia ma ke ʻano he ʻauhau a me nā mea ʻē aʻe i loaʻa aʻe ma o ka hoʻololi ʻana, ʻo ia nā ʻano meaʻai like ʻole, e like me ka palaoa, ka pi, ka palaʻai, ka ʻūpō, ka chili a me ka koko.
I ka wā pua, hōʻike nā hōʻike moʻomeheu i kahi ʻano o nā hana a me nā hana noʻeau. Ma Monte Albán, ua hana ʻia ka lepo lepo no ka hana o kēlā me kēia lā: nā pā, nā ipu, nā aniani a me nā bola, a me nā mea hana pōhaku e like me nā pahi, nā ihe, a me nā pahi kaua.
Ua maopopo he ʻokoʻa loa ma waena o ka home home o ka hapanui o ka heluna kanaka a me kēlā mau pūʻulu hapa nui o ka poʻe akamai, nā kāhuna a me nā mea hoʻōla, nā mea i kau i ka ʻike, wehewehe i ka kalena, wānana i nā hanana lani a hoʻōla i ka poʻe maʻi. Ma lalo o kāna mau monumoku alakaʻi, kūkulu ʻia nā luakini a me nā stelae, a ʻo lākou nō kekahi e alakaʻi i nā ʻoliʻoli a lilo i waena ma waena o nā kāne a me nā akua.
Ma kahi o 700 A.D. ua hoʻomaka ka hāʻule o ke kūlanakauhale; kūkulu nā hana kūkulu ma kahi pālākiō nui, ʻoiai ka hōʻemi nui ʻana o ka heluna kanaka i hiki mai; ua haʻalele ʻia nā wahi noho he nui; ʻo kekahi poʻe ʻē aʻe e paʻa ana i ka paia e kāohi i nā pūʻali koa komo hewa mai ke komo ʻana. Hiki paha i ka hāʻule o ke kūlanakauhale ma muli o ka pau ʻana o nā kumuwaiwai kūlohelohe, a i ʻole ka hakakā paha o nā hui kūloko no ka mana. Hōʻike kekahi mau ʻikepili i ka hoʻokahuli ʻia ʻana o nā alakaʻi e nā papa kaiāulu aloha ʻole ʻia i hāʻawi ʻia i ke ʻano o ke kaulike ʻole i lanakila a me ka nele o nā manawa kūpono e kiʻi ai i nā huahana mea kūʻai aku.
Noho mau ke kūlanakauhale Zapotec no nā kenekulia he nui, akā ma kahi o ka makahiki 1200 AD, a i ʻole he kenekulia i hala, ua hoʻomaka nā Mixtecs, mai nā mauna ʻākau, e kanu i ko lākou poʻe make i nā hale kupapaʻu o Monte Albán; ua lawe mai nā Mixtec me lākou i nā kuʻuna hou i hiki ke ʻike ʻia i nā kaila kuhikuhipuʻuone; Hana pū lākou i ka metallurgy, hana i nā puke pena ʻano-codex, a hoʻolauna i nā ʻano mea like ʻole a me nā ʻano hana like ʻole no ka hana ʻana i ka pālolo, ka iwi, ka ʻalabaster a me nā ʻāpana iwi.
ʻO ka laʻana maopopo loa o kēia mau hoʻololi moʻomeheu e hōʻike ʻia ana e kahi waiwai kūikawā, o ka hana maʻalahi Mixtec, i loaʻa ma Tomb 7, i ʻike ʻia ma 1932. Eia nō naʻe, ua noho ka metropolis ma ka piko o ka mauna i kona nani, koe iho he hōʻike leo ʻole i ka nui o nā kūpuna i noho ma kēia mau ʻāina.
