Yagul

Yagul is an archaeological site and former city-state associated with the Zapotec civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca [1]. Yagul was first occupied around 500-100 BC [1]. Around 500-700 AD, residential, civic and ceremonial structures were built at the site [1]. However, most of the visible remains date to 1250-1521 AD, when the site functioned as the capital of a Postclassic city-state [1]. The site is situated on a volcanic outcrop surrounded by fertile alluvial land, in the Tlacolula arm of the Valley of Oaxaca [1]. In the Late Postclassic, immediately prior to the Spanish Conquest, Yagul had a population of more than 6000 people [1]. The construction stone at Yagul is mainly river cobbles formed from volcanic rock such as basalt [1]. About 30 tombs have been found at Yagul, sometimes located in pairs [1].