14 Facts About Mitla

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

Mitla is unique among Mesoamerican sites because of its elaborate and intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that cover tombs, panels, friezes, and even entire walls of the complex.

Mitla was inhabited at least since the Classic Period and perhaps from as early as 900 BCE.

Mitla is one of the pre-Columbian sites that express the Mesoamerican belief that death was the most consequential part of life after birth.

Nobles buried at Mitla were believed to be destined to become “cloud people, ” who would intercede on behalf of the population below.

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Mitla was still occupied and functioning as the main religious center when the Spanish explorers and military expeditions arrived in the 1520s and later.

Mitla said that its name meant “hell, ” his interpretation of the underworld.

Since the 1980s, Mitla has been the site of further excavations, with important work conducted on the North Group.

Rather than being a group of pyramids on a ridge, as is Monte Alban, Mitla is a group of structures built on the valley floor.

Mitla is one of the few sites that was started in the Classic period, when the Mixtec became dominant in the area.

Main distinguishing feature of Mitla is the intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that profusely adorn the walls of both the Church and Columns groups.

Mitla is one of the sites to be included in a planned program called the Archeology Corridor of Oaxaca Valley .

Mitla is the second most visited archeological site in the state of Oaxaca, after Monte Alban.

The Mitla site is very important to the modern town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla, as tourist-related activities support most of the economy.