Oaxacan LIfe: Part 7-- A seriously strenuous mountain climb to Monte Alban!

 A couple of weeks ago, I convinced one hardy member of my Sunday gringo bike club to join me on a killer 1,500 foot climb from Oaxaca up the side of a mountain to Monte Alban. 

Monte Alban is an ancient Zapotec metropolis, founded in the sixth century B.C., on a low, mountainous range overlooking the city of Oaxaca. It functioned as their capital over the course of 13 centuries, between 500 B.C. and 800 A.D. Its impressive architectural remains--terraces, pyramids, and canals-- make it one of Mexico's most visited, UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

It was hot, dry and hazy that day, but nonetheless, I felt triumphant after our grueling, 90 minute bike ride to get there. As it turned out, not surprisingly, it was well worth the trip.


Panoramic view of the main square and center of the old city. Apparently, there were 18,000 inhabitants at the height of this vibrant Zapotecan metropolis. How I would have loved to time travel to that period and see this square filled with active people... it would really have been something!

You cannot really get a sense of how steep this road was by looking at this photo:  it was graded fairly well, but seemed to go on forever!!!

The view, looking back, as we climbed....



My triumphant selfie... at the top!!


Ron-- hard core cyclist that he is--beat me to the top by a mile... but it was a good thing, as he quickly purchased tickets for us. We were told that they limited visitors to 300, which is not many when you consider how popular this historic site is.

In front of the museo--sadly, like elsewhere in Oaxaca, all are closed because of Covid. At least--after months of closure--they opened the whole outdoor area, so we could tour the ruins, which were amazing. 


As you can see, it was a hazy day, but still an impressive view from the top. Oaxaca sits at about 5,000 feet below in the valley; Monte Alban is at 6,400 feet, or 1940 meters. 

One of the many lovely scrubs, well-adapted for the dry Oaxacan soil... rain only comes for 3 scattered months in the year... I am still waiting for the rain...it will be a nice reprieve from the heat and dryness.... would love to see more vegetation turn green!

So begins out tour of the ruins... cannot give you much information about what was what, though it seemed most of the dwellings still standing were either temples or tombs, or some combination thereof....






The colorful stones--and how carefully they were laid, in all different sizes-- never failed to thrill and awe!









We overheard one private tour guide telling his group that these stones represented people with various ailments or injuries, cured by their surprisingly advanced medical techniques. Apparently bones were set, amputations carried out, and so forth. Fascinating! 












Another beautiful tree, thriving in the arid climate. 









Next destination: Mitla, another famous Zapotecan archeological site. Hoping to get there next weekend! 


Comments

  1. JeanneMay 6, 2021 at 10:14 PM

    I bet you would have loved your e-bike on that steep climb! Glad you got to take advantage of seeing that.

    ReplyDelete

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