Oaxaca Valley
The Central Valleys (
History
The Zapotec dominated the valley and much of the Oaxacan highlands from the Early Formative through the end of the Classic period. They were succeeded by the Mixtec culture during the Postclassic period.
Formative period
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Oaxaca, Mexico |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii) |
| Reference | 1352 |
| Inscription | 2010 (34th Session) |
| Area | 1,515.17 ha (3,744.1 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 3,859.74 ha (9,537.6 acres) |
| Coordinates | 16°57′03″N 96°25′16″W / 16.95083°N 96.42111°W |
  Location of Oaxaca Valley in Oaxaca  Oaxaca Valley (Mexico) | |
One of the earliest settlements in the Oaxaca Valley was San José Mogote, located in the northwestern part of the Etla arm. Initially a permanent agricultural village during the Early Formative, it eventually developed social stratification where elite social positions were ascribed, i.e., sociopolitical prominence was achieved at birth, rather than earned.
It is clear that the Formative inhabitants of the valley interacted with the
While San José Mogote functioned as a small center in the northwestern arm of the valley, a number of other contemporaneous centers existed in the Oaxaca Valley. These were
Substantial cultural changes become evident during the Late Formative, including a dramatic population shift and the
Throughout the remainder of the
Classic period
Throughout the Early Classic period (AD 200-650), Monte Albán and also the Oaxaca Valley formed the nucleus of the Zapotec polity. Interaction with other Classic period polities, specifically Teotihuacan, is evident. Monuments and murals at Monte Albán depict the arrival of visitors from Teotihuacan,[3] while there is evidence that a Zapotec “barrio” existed at the central Mexican city.[4]
Monte Albán's prominence lasted through to the end of the Early Classic. Perhaps too reliant on Teotihuacan, the decline of Monte Albán's influence appears to correlate with the collapse of the Teotihuacan polity. During this time other centers, once subjects of Monte Albán and incorporated within the Zapotec state, began to assert their own autonomy. These include Cuilpan and Zaachila in the Valle Grande and Lambityeco and Mitla in the eastern Tlacolula arm. By the time of the Terminal Classic (ca. AD 900), it is clear that the former capital had been abandoned.[5]
Postclassic period
During the Postclassic period (roughly AD 1000–1520), the Oaxaca Valley was still occupied by Zapotec people, but often fell under the political provenience of the
Colonial period
The Aztec empire collapsed when their capital,
In 1521, the Spanish settled in a community known as Segura de la Frontera, located in the central part of the Oaxaca Valley and approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) east of Monte Albán. Later known as Nueva Antequera, it was officially raised to the category of a "royal" city in 1532 by decree of Emperor
See also
Notes
- ^ "Oaxaca: Región Valles Centrales". Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ Marcus and Flannery (1996:140-146); Synoikism refers to the dramatic settlement of a new community that was previously non-existent and that incorporates communities that were separate or independent prior to the site's formation. As Marcus and Flannery mention, it is applied to the eventual formation of Sparta.
- ^ Marcus 1983.
- ^ Paddock 1983.
- ^ Blanton, et al. (1999)
References
- Blanton, Richard E.; Gary M. Feinman; Stephen A. Kowalewski; Linda M. Nicholas (1999). Ancient Oaxaca: the Monte Albán State. London: OCLC 41420906.
- Joyce, Arthur A. (2010). Mixtecs, Zapotecs and Chatinos: Ancient peoples of Southern Mexico. Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-20977-5.
- OCLC 8805988.
- OCLC 34409496.
- Paddock, John (1983). "The Oaxaca Barrio at Teotihuacan". In OCLC 8805988.
