The Zapotecs: Builders of Monte Alban (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798195391980)

In The Zapotecs: Builders of Monte Alban, Elliot Rowan brings to life one of the earliest civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica. High above the Oaxaca Valley, the Zapotecs carved a city from a mountain, creating Monte Alban, a powerful center of political authority, sacred tradition, and cultural innovation that shaped the region for centuries.

Drawing on archaeological discoveries from Monte Alban, Mitla, and San Jose Mogote, Rowan reconstructs a society known through monuments, tombs, and artifacts rather than continuous written history. Carved stone reliefs, elaborate burials, and finely crafted ceramics reveal a world defined by ritual, hierarchy, and a deep connection to landscape and time.

Rowan traces the rise of the Zapotec state, its expansion across Oaxaca, and its interactions with powerful neighbors such as Teotihuacan and the Aztecs. He also explores the transformation of this system, as new centers emerged and authority shifted beyond the hilltop capital.

More than the story of a lost city, this book reveals the enduring legacy of the Zapotecs, whose language, traditions, and identity continue in Oaxaca today.

Author: Elliot Rowan
ISBN-13: 9798195391980
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 05/03/2026
Pages: 146
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.39lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.31d