Atzompa: secondary Zapotec center with elite residences and craft workshops. Atzompa is located 4 km north of Monte Alban on another mountaintop The site name comes from Nahuatl, meaning 'the city above the water' or 'high water mark' Site contains four terraces with a broad platform and central staircase at the entrance
Atzompa sits 4 km north of Monte Alban on another mountaintop, its name meaning 'the city above the water' in Nahuatl. The site features four terraces, an elite residence with a ritual steam bath, three ball courts (the main one larger than any at Monte Alban), and a ceramic production workshop with a kiln. The Mixtecs later migrated into the valley around 1000 CE.
Key Facts
- Atzompa is located 4 km north of Monte Alban on another mountaintop
- The site name comes from Nahuatl, meaning 'the city above the water' or 'high water mark'
- Site contains four terraces with a broad platform and central staircase at the entrance
- Terrace 4 features the East House, an elite residence with multiple rooms around a sunken patio and a ritual steam bath
- Three ball courts were discovered at Atzompa, with the main court longer than any at Monte Alban
- Structure 5 is the main pyramid, though extensive looting has removed most stucco facing
- The House of the Altars contained multiple rooms with plastered floors and walls, ritual altars, and service areas
- A ceramic production workshop with a kiln has been identified at the site
- The Mixtecs later migrated into the Valley of Oaxaca around the year 1000, initially as traders
Related site: Atzompa — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The Rise and Fall of the ZAPOTEC EMPIRE by World of Antiquity