Mitla

The site

Mitla is the main Zapotec religious site after Monte Albán

Mitla is the second-most important archeological site in Oaxaca, after Monte Albán, and the most important of the Zapotec culture. While Monte Albán was the political center, Mitla became the main religious one in a later period.

The name

Its Zapotec name, Lyobaa, means place of rest

The name Mitla comes from a Nahuatl word for the underworld. The Zapotec name, Lyobaa, means place of rest. The site was established by the Zapotec as a sacred burial site, with the influence of the Mixtec in its architecture.

Fretwork

Mosaic fretwork of cut stones fitted without mortar covers the walls

Mitla is unique among Mesoamerican sites for its intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs, which cover tombs, panels, friezes and even entire walls. The small, finely cut and polished stones are fitted together without mortar.

The groups

Stones used as columns and lintels weigh as much as 18 tons

Some of the large stones used as columns and lintels weigh as much as 18 tons. The two best preserved groups are the Columns Group and the Church Group, at the north end of the site, both restored by the early 1980s.

18 tonsthe weight of the largest column and lintel stones

The Spanish

Spanish-directed forces dismantled the buildings and built a church on the ruins

Mitla was still the main religious center when the Spanish arrived in the 1520s. Spanish-directed forces dismantled and sacked the buildings, with few spared, and the stone went into Spanish churches, including the Church of San Pablo, built on part of the ruins.