Historical sites in Oaxaca

This collection spans the archaeological landscape of Oaxaca, featuring major Zapotec and Mixtec urban centers. It includes the UNESCO-listed Monte Albán, known for its expansive mountaintop plaza, and Mitla, distinguished by its intricate geometric stone mosaics. The list also covers the prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla, which provide evidence of the earliest domestication of maize in North America, alongside lesser-known Mixtec sites like Yanhuitlán and Huamelulpan that showcase early Mesoamerican stone carvings and architectural evolution.

Oaxaca Historical Sites — Map

A

Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán

Monte Albán is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán Municipality in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

DavidConFran / CC BY-SA 3.0

B

Mitla

Mitla is the second-most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture.

Jlrsousa / CC-BY-SA-3.0

C

Yagul

Yagul is an archaeological site and former city-state associated with the Zapotec civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, located in the…

DavidConFran / CC BY-SA 3.0

D

Mitla

Mitla is the second-most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture.

E

Cuevas Prehistóricas de Yagul y Mitla

UNESCO World Heritage site featuring rock shelters and caves that contain evidence of early plant domestication, including the oldest known maize cobs in North America.

F

Guiengola

A Zapotec fortified site on a mountain ridge, featuring two main plazas, a ball court, and defensive walls overlooking the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

G

Yanhuitlan

A major Mixtec center in the Nochixtlán Valley, later known for its massive 16th-century Dominican convent built upon pre-Hispanic foundations.

H

Yucuita

One of the oldest and largest Mixtec settlements in the Nochixtlán Valley, dating to the Pre-classic period with evidence of early monumental architecture.

I

Etlatongo

An early Mixtec archaeological site known for its Formative period occupation and cultural exchange with the Olmec civilization.

J

Cerro Jazmin

A large Mixtec urban center built on a hilltop, characterized by extensive residential terraces and civic-ceremonial structures.

K

Huamelulpan

An early Mixtec center featuring stone platforms and carved glyphs that represent some of the earliest writing in the Oaxaca region.

L

Huamelulpan

Mixtec archaeological site in the Mixteca Alta region featuring early urban terraces and ceremonial platforms.

M

Zona Arqueológica de Dainzú

Zapotec site famous for its gallery of stone reliefs depicting ball players and a unique ball court built into the hillside.

N

Tumba

Cruciform stone tomb located in the Mitla archaeological zone, featuring intricate Zapotec geometric mosaics and fretwork.

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