Zapotec civilization

E29905

The Zapotec civilization was an influential pre-Columbian culture of southern Mesoamerica, centered in the Oaxaca Valley and noted for its early writing system, monumental architecture, and complex urban centers like Monte Albán.


Statements (51)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Mesoamerican civilization
archaeological culture
pre-Columbian civilization
declinedAround 8th century CE
economyBasedOn beans cultivation
long-distance trade
maize agriculture
squash cultivation
emergedAround 6th century BCE
ethnicGroup Zapotec people
flourishedInPeriod Classic period
Late Formative period
hasCapital Monte Albán
hasFeature ancestor veneration
ballcourts
complex urban centers
early writing system
elaborate funerary practices
hierarchical social structure
hieroglyphic inscriptions
intensive agriculture
monumental architecture
polychrome ceramics
state-level political organization
stone carvings
terraced hilltop cities
hasLanguage Zapotec languages
hasMajorSite Dainzú
Lambityeco
Mitla
Monte Albán
Yagul
influenced Mixtec civilization
later Mesoamerican cultures
influencedBy Olmec civilization
knownFor early Mesoamerican writing
funerary urns
hilltop defensive sites
tomb architecture
locatedIn Oaxaca Valley
present-day Mexico
southern Mesoamerica
partOf Mesoamerican cultural area
politicalCenter Monte Albán
practiced calendar-based rituals
ritual human sacrifice
reachedApogee Classic period of Mesoamerica
religion polytheism
usedCalendar 260-day ritual calendar
365-day solar calendar
usedWritingSystem Zapotec script


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