Recognized as a cultural world heritage, neither the Atzompa caretakers and curators nor the tourism in Mexico or the world, seem to have gotten the memo, because these ruins are deserted and uncared for, and yet, it was an amazing place to visit.
Oaxaca, Mexico is close to my hometown, which is the reasons I decided to visit last weekend and see what it has to offer. These are not the most magnificent ruins and there are definitely larger, more beautiful and more well preserved archaeological sites in the state and in the country, but this is definitely worth a visit if you are already roaming through this beautiful Mexican state.
There are two main ancient civilizations or cultures in Mexico, the Aztecs (as you may know them) or Mexicas (As Mexicans know them), and the Mayans, perhaps the most famous ones. Atzompa belongs to the Mexica culture.
Atzompa is one of the smallest ruins I have ever visited, and I've been to at least 50 different archaeological sites in the world, so that's saying something. Obviously, I don't have many pictures to share with you, but still I hope you like them.
The origin of the name Atzompa comes from Nahuatl and means "At the headwaters". This was named by the Mexicas during the expansion of the Aztec empire a little while before the arrival of the Spanish. The name in Zapotec continues to be researched.
Along with the monumental places know as Cerro del gallo (Roster hill), Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross), and many others, Atzompa was part of Monte Alban, having been one of its largest settlements, a type of neighborhood in the large metropolis. It's original builders came from Monte Alban around 1,200 years earlier, at the time of the capital city's expansion towards the northern sector. The population of the current village of Atzompa is descendent from the Mixtecos who lived in several areas on the Monte Alban hillsides 600 years ago.
Atzompa has a very refined architecture built around small private plazas. Two residencies know as Casa de Oriente (East House) and Casa de lo Altares (Shrine house) suggest the presence of at least two families in positions of power and privilege, confirming that the family was very important in Atzompa, since it was one of the centers of political power. But unlike Monte Alban, in this site they were "more human and less God-like", considering the lesser emphasis on religious monumental constructions.
As I said, it's a small settlement and there's not much to explore, but it's way better to visit this than to go to the local mall and get ice cream, don't you think?
I hope you liked this little adventure!
