Atzompa

Zapotec elite residential complex located 4 km north of Monte Alban in Oaxaca, occupied during periods IIIB-IV (c. 650-850 AD). The site features high-status palatial units including the House of Altars and House of the East, along with three Mesoamerican ballcourts, the largest measuring 45 by 22 metres -- the biggest in all of Monte Alban. Excavations beginning in 2007 uncovered effigy vessels and funerary urns demonstrating advanced Zapotec craftsmanship. The name derives from Nahuatl meaning "at the water's head".