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How Did a Mountaintop City Rule the Valley of Oaxaca? - The Carved Captives of Monte Albán | Sleepy Facts About History
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Imagine carving the top off a mountain to build a city in the sky. In southern Mexico, the ancient Zapotec civilization did exactly that. Beginning around 500 BCE, they transformed the summit of a mountain in the Valley of Oaxaca into a vast, white-plastered plaza surrounded by temples and palaces. This was Monte Albán, a monumental urban center designed to be seen from miles away by every surrounding community. Its visibility was not an accident, but a deliberate demonstration of…
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