El Palenque

A Zapotec centre near San Martin Tilcajete in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, dating to the Late Monte Alban I phase (300-100 BC). Excavations by Redmond and Spencer uncovered the oldest known palace complex in the valley, covering 2,790 sq metres and featuring colonnaded courtyards, a throne hall, kitchens, and storerooms. The site also yielded the earliest known temple precinct in Oaxaca -- a walled enclosure containing three multiroom temples and two priest residences, providing evidence of specialized priesthood during early Zapotec state formation.

TypeCity/town/settlement
Period500 BC - 1 AD
CountryMexico
Coordinates16.8777° N, 96.6967° W

Related resources

More sites in Mexico

Monte Alban · Dainzú · Atzompa · Lambityeco · Yagul · Mitla · Mitla, Entrance to Tomb 1 · Tayata · Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park · Ndachjian-Tehuacán · Teteles de Santo Nombre · Tres Zapotes · La Cobata · El Azuzul · San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Museum · Cascajal Block · Isla de Sacrificios · Zempoala · Grottos of Juxtlahuaca · Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa · Zona Arqueológica de Cholula · Chalcatzingo · Quiahuiztlan · Calakmul

All sites in Mexico

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