High on Aztompa

Following in the footsteps of Presidente Calderon, yesterday we visited the newly opened archaeological site in Atzompa.  Really, it is a the very top of the mountain overlooking the village of Atzompa.  Check out spixl's panoramic shot.

This is a restoration in progress so do not expect to see the same level of rebuilding and detail as in Monte Alban, which sits nearby to the south and must have been a normal daily commute for folks living in Atzompa hundreds of years ago.  

One of the first things you see is an impressive ball court.  The setting is amazing.  Imagine playing the ancient ballgame there!

As luck would have it, we were the only visitors at the time.  The only other people there were workers who gave us helpful information about the site and the surrounding area.  And that is the best thing about the site - the 360 degree vistas of the dramatic country that surrounds the site.  Let me say that again, the views are spectacular, new angles to see all of Oaxaca, the city, the mountains and the valleys.  Wow!

And it is incredibly cool to walk the paths and imagine what an amazing city this must have been.

There are signs in both English and Spanish throughout the site.  Here's one of the timeline.

Renderings of what it might have looked like. (I was actually taking a pic of the bug)

If you go, stop at the house of Angelica Vazquez, the ceramic artist I just photographed.  Hers is the second to the last house on the right before entering the site.  Boy, is her life going to be different when people really start visiting the site.  As we were leaving, these guys were headed down the mountain at a pretty good clip.  To see why, follow the link and look at the last shot on Casi Colibri.