The three central valleys have always been the pivot of life in Oaxaca. The site of Monte Albán, begun around the 6th century BC, sits at the point where the three valleys converge. The Zapotec civilisation, which founded its cultural and commercial centre here, came to control all the central valleys and other Oaxacan territories before the site's peak, between 250 and 750 AD.
This site, which at its height had close to 25,000 inhabitants, underwent a sudden decline after 750 and was subsequently abandoned, like many other Zapotec sites in the central valleys. The site stands on an artificial plateau, atop a hill overlooking the valley floor, which makes it strikingly impressive. Among the site's most imposing buildings is the Palace, at the top of which a cruciform tomb was found, built after almost the entire site had been abandoned.
