Zapotec

Mesoamerican cultural and linguistic group centered on the highlands of southern Oaxaca, Mexico, and the culture most clearly associated with Monte Albán and Mitla. Their origins are uncertain, but by c 300 AD a distinctively Zapotec culture can be recognized. The Early Formative ancestral Zapotec had lived in scattered villages and at least one center of some importance, San José Mogote. Elaborate funerary urns in gray ware are especially characteristic. The Zapotec abandoned their capital in c 950 and appear to have relocated at other centers, such as Mitla and Lambityeco. In the 14th century AD, the area was infiltrated by Mixtecs who came from the mountains to the north and west and occupied most of the Zapotec sites. Part of the region was never conquered by the Aztecs, and the Zapotecan language has persisted to the present.

A Mesoamerican group centred on the highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico, and the culture most clearly associated with Monte Alban. Origins are Unclear but characteristics which are clearly Zapotecan (e.g. Grey ware) have appeared by the beginning of Monte Alban Period II (c200 bc-200 ad) and are fully developed by c300 AD (Period Illa). Elaborate funerary urns in Grey ware are especially characteristic. The Zapotec abandoned their capital in c950 and appear to have relocated at other centres, such as Mitla and Lambityeco. In the Late Post-Classic, the Mixtec began to infiltrate Zapotec communities. Although the nature of the resulting struggle is.uncertain, the period is characterized by a widespread fusion of the two cultures. Although the Zapotec were able to maintain a degree of independence (some groups still survive today), they ultimately became absorbed into the Aztec tribute empire.