The Great Plaza
Pyramids round a vast square.
Unknown — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rob Young from United Kingdom — CC BY 2.0 · DavidConFran — CC BY-SA 3.0 · ENDS2306 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · MAHC-oaxaca — CC BY 4.0 · August Dominus — CC BY-SA 4.0
The ancient capital of the Zapotec people, a city built on a mountain whose top was artificially levelled, about 1,940 metres up and some 400 metres above the valley, where the three arms of the Valley of Oaxaca meet. It is on UNESCO's list together with Oaxaca's historic centre. At its heart is a great rectangular plaza ringed by pyramids, platforms and temples, an arrowhead-shaped astronomical observatory and a ball court. Among its best-known features are stone slabs carved with human figures called «the Dancers», some of the oldest monuments in the region. The view from the south and north platforms is the highlight: the broad valley with its villages and fields, the mountains around it and Oaxaca City below. The air is mild at this height, but the sun is strong and shade is scarce. Small tourist buses run there and back from central Oaxaca for a modest fare, or take a taxi. Check opening days before you go, and arrive in the morning.
Pyramids round a vast square.
Carved stone slabs.
Oaxaca below.
Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, about 9 km west of Oaxaca City, 20 minutes by road
By the small tourist buses from the city centre, there and back, or by taxi in about 20 minutes. Arrive in the morning before the heat.