This morning we took a bus to Monte Alban, climbing up above the city to the hills surrounding it. The Central Valleys of Oaxaca were laid out below us, heavily inhabited but still very green, and it was a clear day with pockets of mist rising here and there. So very pretty, though it rained later in the day. When we arrived at Monte Alban, we were dropped off in a car park with a few picnic benches overlooking the valley, a completely empty ruined pyramid to one side and a road leading up to the actual site on the other. So we poked around a bit and then climbed up.
Monte Alban is a particularly atmospheric setting, I think, an entire hilltop covered in an urban complex that lasted for centuries, first Zapotec then Mixtec. Perfectly laid out to watch the stars; one pyramid had a missing stone in its steps to time the equinox. Climbing the two highest pyramids one could see the valley and hills spreading all around; it must have been a sight indeed during the city’s heyday, though I don’t know if it would have all been cultivated, terraced fields, or forest or something else. There were not too many people, and the numbers diminished rapidly as we arrived and brought with us the rain, though it never rained too hard.
I was a bit distracted throughout as Pakistan was playing England in the second match in the World Cup and, true to form, after 11 defeats in the last 11 matches and England coming after 14 victories, it was a spectacular match. Pakistan was at its crazed, surprising best, England was churlish and awful as ever (even the Guardian commentators seemed to prefer Pakistan). At last victory came.
We came back and had a somewhat mediocre lunch and then a nice coffee and cake, and made our way to the Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art. This proved an excellent decision, just a few rooms, with an excellent little collection and a note on the museum’s purpose saying that it was meant to show pre-Hispanic art not as historic, religious, anthropological or archaeological material but as art to be enjoyed. This was rather freeing, and we wandered through enjoying it massively.
Tomorrow is Eid.