Monte Albán: The Zapotec Capital

Join me as I explore the ancient Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán, one of Oaxaca’s most significant UNESCO World Heritage sites. In this travel guide, I’ll take you on a tour of Monte Albán, showcasing its Mesoamerican pyramids and stunning panoramic views of the Oaxaca Valley. Learn about the fascinating Zapotec civilization and the history behind this archaeological marvel. Whether you’re a history lover or planning a day trip from Oaxaca, this video will guide you through the must-see spots and the rich cultural heritage of Monte Albán.

This Oaxaca travel vlog takes you to the capital of one of the largest pre-columbian civilizations in Mexico, including how to get to Monte Alban; the historical significance of the North Platform, System IV, the observatory (building J) with its Conquest Slabs, Temple of the Danzantes, the South Platform, el Palacio, the Ball Court, Plataforma Enjoyada, numerous Stelas, the tomb complex, museum and spectacular views!

#MonteAlban #OaxacaTravel #UNESCOWorldHeritage #ZapotecRuins #AncientMexico #OaxacaArchaeology #MonteAlbanOaxaca #MesoamericanPyramids

00:00 Intro
00:33 Getting There
01:28 Arrival
02:23 Zapotec History
05:45 North Platform & Stela #9
08:15 System IV & Stela #18
09:39 Building J (Observatory) & Conquest Slabs
12:30 Temple of the Danzantes
15:38 South Platform
16:57 El Palacio
17:16 Stela #15
17:41 Ball Court
18:41 Plataforma Enjoyada
19:28 Tomb Complex
20:27 Museum
21:01 Lunch
22:08 Back to Oaxaca City
23:25 Bloopers

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[debfothergill]

My wife & I truly enjoy watching your videos. We love all the information you share on your channel. Your sense of humor and your authenticity is so uplifting in these trying times. We end our day on a positive note by watching one of your videos. We hope you continue your travels and continue to educate all. Thanks for all you do.

[ernesthenderson]

Awesome video on Monte Alban, thanks Alfie!

[JanetheScot]

Love the way you say, "Winning", too funny, when you're frustrated. I feel your pain !. I follow Archeo Ed and was looking for a closeup of the Danzante carvings at Monte Alban, so that's how I stumbled across your video. You're delightful.

[lindakazsals]

You are amazing! Traveled all over Mexico in a few days, incredible!!

[georgethecatcabrera]

We love your channel! We have already binge-watched all the videos and are glad to see you traveling again. We are viewers in Vegas. You provide great information, as only a teacher could offer. Could you keep them coming? My spouse keeps driving me crazy by asking if Alfie has posted. We Love your sense of humor.

[toddsikkila]

Love this! Great historic info! Thanks for sharing. And I DO like you and think you’re funny!

[bethgoodell]

Your videos make me so happy! Fun, interesting, and inspiring! Thank you!

[OVREZ]

this video is great! thank you brother im doing a project on this! enjoy ur winning in life man

[luishumbertorocha]

Love your work, I´m mexican, live in Leon Guanajuato and I´m traveling vicariously through ur viedos to places in my country I´ve never visited. I´ve travel the world but never my country outisde beaches and big cities for work or studying. So thank you for ur work...I also thought u were jewish, but nope ur italian....😂

[jameshaddan]

Thanks! Great video - super interesting. I have my MA in archaeology, so love seeing sites that I haven’t visited yet. Oh, and…did I miss something about sunglasses? ;) 😂

[loumcast]

Molto bene Alfie. Loved the video and all the good information you provided. Want to avoid crow's feet? Preparation H cream nightly will do the trick. $17 dollars for that club sandwich and the fries, it's a rip off! Looking forward to the next video. 😊 PS, love your saying; "winning" it always crack me up!

[ItsAlleged]

This is crazy - I was here a year ago and reminiscing... Then I noticed that this was uploaded on the literal day I was at Monte Alban. How long before this were you there? When I was there the cicadas were going crazy!

[mikebarlow]

Loved the video, and perfect timing, going to Oaxaca next month.

[lhilare]

I love your tour diatribe. Very interesting!

[jijib]

Hi! I went to Monte Alban a few weeks ago, and the guide said that the images depicted of the Olmec, the Danzantes, were recently explained by the fact that there was a lot of inbreeding happening and children were born deformed, missing limbs and were very short. Also what appears to be a beard on some is actually saliva dripping as they could not keep their mouths closed. Super interesting indeed !!!!

[mikeBlinthicum]

Great videos! I’m so impressed with your knowledge of the areas you visit. Are you an historian by occupation? Watching from Westchester New York

[JcBautista]

I am from Oaxaca and came to the USA under a scholarship to pursue my M.A and later on got another one more to pursue my Ph.D. As far as I know, the Olmecs are as old as the Mexicas. However, not the Mexicas nor the Olmecs built Teotihuacán. There were even older civilizations we lost track of. The Aztecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs ( among others) are the lasted civilizations before the European conquest.

I am a Mixtec and still preserve my mother tongue which is Mixteco. But I also speak four more languages.

Would you mind letting me know what’s the name of the background music that was playing through this clip? Thanks a bunch and look forward to hearing from you!

Enjoy Oaxaca and eat a lot of quesillo for me. I miss it a lot! Best cheese on earth!

[zoraberman]

I think you are funny and I like you:)

[dmlevitt]

way too much on-camera time gringo, interrupted. the story is you, right?