The various structures of Monte Albán center on the Gran Plaza or Great Plaza, a large open space created by flattening the mountaintop. From this plaza, aligned north to south, there is a great view of the Oaxaca Valley.
From the Gran Plaza, there are many buildings to explore – excavations at Monte Albán have revealed over 170 tombs, numerous ceremonial altars, stelae, pyramids, and palaces.
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Photo above: The Observatory, with North Platform in the far back.
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In the center of the Gran Plaza are the creatively named Buildings G, H, and I. These served as temples and contained several tombs. A tunnel was discovered to lead from the Palace on the east side of the plaza to Building H, possibly so that people could appear here as if by magic.
To the south of these center buildings is the Observatory, which was either used as its name indicates or to celebrate victory in battle. Glyphs carved on the walls may be of the names of conquered tribes. The only building at Monte Albán not aligned with the north-south axis, the Observatory was probably aligned with the stars instead.
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On the eastern side of the Great Plaza is an I-shaped ballcourt (Juego de Pelota). This ballcourt differs slightly from Maya and Toltec ballcourts in that there are no goal rings and the sides of the court slope. The ball game played on this court had ritual significance, and losers were usually put to death as an offering to the gods. The game wasn't easy, either: players had to manipulate the ball using only hips, shoulders, knees and elbows.
Also on the east side of the plaza are several altars and pyramids that were once covered with stucco. The sloping walls, wide stairs, and ramps are all typical of Zapotec architecture and reminiscent of the architecture of Teotihuacán.
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On the south side of the plaza is the South Platform, which once had several carved stelae. Most of these are now in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, but at the northeast and northwest corners are staelae showing prisoners of war with their arms and legs bound. A small temple on top of the platform is known as Mound III. You can get a good view of the surrounding area from here.
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The west side has more ceremonial platforms and pyramids. One of the pyramid complexes, named System IV, is almost identical to Mound M, which is on the west side near the South Platform. Both are well-preserved and were once topped with one-room wooden temples.
Los Danzantes (Building of the Dancers) is the main highlight of the west side of the plaza. It is the earliest surviving structure at Monte Albán. This building is covered with large stone slabs with carvings of humans in strange, tortured positions (these are copies; the originals are in the site museum). Because of the fluid movement represented in the figures, they became known as the Danzantes, but this is only a modern label for these ancient and mysterious carvings. The distorted bodies and pained expressions might connote disease or suffering; some have clear features of childbirth, dwarfism, and infantilism. Other experts believe they are prisoners of war.
The North Platform is a large maze of temples and palaces interwoven with underground tunnels and sanctuaries. There are numerous reliefs, glyphs, paintings, and friezes along the lintels, jambs and walls to explore. In this section of the ruins, you are likely to see vendors from the nearby town of Arrazola selling "original" artifacts from the site.
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