The
Zapotec capital was Monte Alban which lies at the top
of an artificially leveled mountain promontory, south of the
present-day city of Oaxaca. Systematic excavations in the
early 1930s revealed gold, jade, precious gems and crystals,
and turquoise in several of the tombs. Also discovered was a
network of stone-lined tunnels, too small for use by
normal people , either adults or children. The
excavators’ initial guess that they had discovered a
drainage system, investigation however proved this theory
implausible.
The first of these tunnels was 20 inches
high and 25 inches wide - 195 feet into the tunnel they came
upon a skeleton, an incense burner, and funeral artifacts
jade, turquoise, pearls and stones. A few yards beyond this
the tunnel was blocked, and the explorers had to dig a
25-foot shaft from the surface beyond the blockage, to
reenter it
Further along, they found even smaller
passages, no more than a foot high, running off from the
main tunnel. Leading into one of these was a tiny set
of steps. 320 feet from the main entrance, they found
another skeleton, and a few yards beyond this, at the edge
of the northern terrace of the great plaza, the tunnel
ended.
2 Similar tunnels packed with clay were
also later found. Slightly to the east of one of the
wealthiest tombs another complex of miniature tunnels was
discovered, all meticulously lined with stone, some were
less than a foot high.
Smoke was blown into this tunnel complex
which revealed “a number of unexpected exits.”
The excavators’ initial guess that it was
a drainage system was abandoned. Nor were the the
tunnels a network of escape routes ,as normal size Humans
would have to crawl on their backs or bellies to
navigate them. It is quite possible they used in some
sort of burial rituals, an elaborate tomb system similar to
the catacombs of Europe -considering some skeletons were
found within, but officially their function remains a
mystery.
