Monte Albán: Continuity and Change in Oaxaca's Pre-Columbian Architecture

The Pre-Columbian site of Monte Albán in Oaxaca is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as one of the most impressive pre-columbian sites in the Americas. It is one of the best-studied ancient cities in Mexico, and many formal architectural features recognized as “Mesoamerican" have been identified and documented on this site. However, recent studies of the North settlement of the city -the Atzompa neighborhood- have challenged the understanding of the continuity of forms and function in certain constructions. This opens new discussions and approaches to understanding paradigm changes in architectural comprehension of the site and the region.