[Aztlan] Zapotec ball court at Atzompa investigated

[michael ruggeri]

Listeros,

INAH has recently investigated the ball court at Santa Maria Atzompa.  
The ball court is 45 meters long and is the  largest court in the  
Zapotec realm. Atzompa was a satellite city of Monte Alban between  
650-850 AD. There are 2 smaller courts at the same site. It is a  
mystery as to why so many ball courts were built outside of Monte  
Alban and why the largest ball court is found in a satellite city.

Atzompa is located on a northern hill to control the fertile Etla  
Valley and the Mixteca region. There were quarries near Atzompa used  
for the construction of Monte Alban buildings. And Atzompa was used as  
a dispersal town for the Monte Alban population which had grown too  
large.

INAH has the story here with a small photo;

http://dti.inah.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3016&Itemid=150

A tiny URL;

http://tinyurl.com/dc3f83

Mike Ruggeri

Mike Ruggeri's Zapotec World
http://tinyurl.com/37huyl