Place of the Dead

My next stop was Mitla. It is almost an hour away from Oaxaca, and is situated about 4,855 feet above sea level. The area that the ruins occupied was relatively small, but so intricate and detailed, that I was blown away.

Mitla is known as the second most important ceremonial center after Monte Alban. The name Mitla or Mictlan is of Nahuatl origin and means "Place of the Dead" or "Inframundo". In Zapotec it is called "Lyobaa", which means "Burial Place", and in Mexico it became known as Mictlan, "Place of the Dead" which is shortened in Spanish to Mitla.

The most characteristic architecture in Mitla is the group of the columns, where we find the Great House of Pezelao, generally considered to be the most beautiful archaeological site in the Americas.

Next stop Hierve el Agua.