Mitla (archeological site)
Mitla is an archaeological site located in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, recognized as a significant center of the Zapotec civilization during the Mesoamerican Postclassic period. The site's name, derived from the Nahuatl word "Mictlan," refers to a legendary "Place of the Dead," highlighting its historical connection to royal tombs. While the area's earliest settlements trace back to 1200 BCE, Mitla's main period of occupation likely began around 1000 CE, coinciding with the Toltec influence in Central Mexico. The site features an impressive array of architecture, including palaces and courtyards arranged around central patios, with notable groups such as the South Group and the Church Group displaying intricate stone masonry and decorative friezes.
Distinctive geometric patterns adorn the walls, crafted from carved stone blocks and painted in vibrant colors, reflecting the artistic styles of the era. Historically, Mitla served as a burial ground for high-ranking Zapotec nobility, with subterranean tombs believed to house priests and rulers. Reports from the seventeenth century indicate that the site functioned as a residence for a paramount Zapotec priest and visiting dignitaries. Mitla remains a testament to the cultural and architectural achievements of the Zapotec civilization, making it a significant site for understanding the region's pre-Columbian history.
Subject Terms
Mitla (archeological site)
Category: Archaeological site
Date: 500-1700
Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
Cultures affected: Zapotec, Mixtec
Mitla, located in the Valley of Oaxaca southeast of the neighboring center of Monte Albán, was one of the most important centers of Zapotec civilization during Mesoamerica’s Postclassic period. The name of the site is derived from the Nahuatl name Mictlan, a legendary “Place of the Dead,” which may refer to the presence of royal tombs. The earliest settlement of the area dates to 1200 b.c.e., and some building was undertaken during Monte Albán II (200 b.c.e. to 200 c.e.), but the site’s principal occupation probably dates to after 1000 c.e., contemporaneous with the Toltec presence in Central Mexico. Mitla was still in use at the time of the Spanish conquest.
Mitla architecture consists of five clusters of impressive palaces and courtyards, arranged in groups of buildings around central patios. The South Group, located south of the river at Mitla, is a group of four early pyramidal structures that may represent the original ceremonial core of the site, dating to Monte Albán III (200-700 c.e.). The Western Group, on the west side of the site, is similar in layout and may date to the same period. The Church Group, the Group of the Columns, and the Arroyo Group are each composed of arrangements of palaces around three quadrangles. Most buildings are constructed in levels, with walls consisting of cut stone masonry over a rubble fill of mud and stone covered with plaster. Among the most impressive features are massive monoliths of cut stone, some weighing up to 25 tons, used at the site for lintels and columns.
The Church Group is so named because of a colonial Spanish church built in one of the quadrangles. The Group of the Columns is the largest and most ornate. It is named for a colonnade of massive cylindrical monoliths that once supported heavy wood beams and a flat roof. The Arroyo Group, the smallest of the palace compounds, was also constructed with large stone lintels.
The walls of palace structures are decorated with friezes of intricate, three-dimensional geometric patterns. Some of these were executed as relief carvings, but the majority were made by assembling facades of carefully carved stone blocks of soft, volcanic tuff. More than 150 mosaic panels survive. The designs were based on the step-and-fret motif, which was also widely used on pottery from this time period. These walls were painted with colorful pigments. Many of the geometric designs are painted white against a red backdrop. These decorations resembled elements of place-name glyphs found in Mixtec codices, or folding books, and their use on the palaces at Mitla may indicate the political control or affiliations of individual polities.
Painted frescoes on the walls of palaces at Mitla recall the styles of the codices from Mixtec civilization, and it is likely that some of these were occupied by individuals mentioned in pre-Columbian documents. Spanish accounts from the seventeenth century report that Mitla was once the home of a paramount Zapotec priest and that the buildings there contained the residence of this high priest and his attendants. There were also apartments used by visiting dignitaries. According to the sources, the power of the priest of Mitla was readily acknowledged by a secular king and his court. Subterranean tombs at the site with cruciform plans were probably the burial places of priests and rulers over several generations. Mitla was widely known as a burial ground for the highest-ranking members of Zapotec nobility.