What did builders do to the mountaintop?

Leveled it to create a great plaza

What are the Danzantes?

Carved stone figures once thought to be dancers

Monte Albán Quiz: Zapotec Capital Above Oaxaca

This Monte Albán quiz climbs to the ancient city above the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico. Play 10 interactive questions on its founding around 500 BC, the Zapotec people, a mountaintop leveled by hand, the Danzantes carvings, the arrow-shaped Building J, the ball court, Tomb 7's Mixtec treasure found by Alfonso Caso in 1932, its decline and UNESCO status.

Start Monte Albán Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

State
Which Mexican state is Monte Albán in?
People
Which people built Monte Albán?
Founded
Around when was it founded?
Mountain
What did builders do to the mountaintop?
Danzantes
What are the Danzantes?
Arrow
What shape is Building J?
Ball
Which sports structure stands in the city?
Tomb
What was found in Tomb 7 in 1932?
Finder
Which archaeologist found Tomb 7?
UNESCO
When was Monte Albán listed with Oaxaca city?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Mexican state is Monte Albán in?
Answer: Oaxaca
It overlooks the Oaxaca Valley.
Q2: Which people built Monte Albán?
Answer: The Zapotecs
It was their capital.
Q3: Around when was it founded?
Answer: 500 BC
It is one of Mesoamerica's first cities.
Q4: What did builders do to the mountaintop?
Answer: Leveled it to create a great plaza
It was a huge effort.
Q5: What are the Danzantes?
Answer: Carved stone figures once thought to be dancers
Many now think they show captives.
Q6: What shape is Building J?
Answer: Like an arrowhead
It may have been an observatory.
Q7: Which sports structure stands in the city?
Answer: A ball court
Mesoamerican ball games were played there.
Q8: What was found in Tomb 7 in 1932?
Answer: A rich Mixtec treasure
It held gold and jade.
Q9: Which archaeologist found Tomb 7?
Answer: Alfonso Caso
He was Mexican.
Q10: When was Monte Albán listed with Oaxaca city?
Answer: 1987
Both are UNESCO sites.

A Zapotec Capital on a Leveled Mountaintop

Monte Albán rises about 400 meters above the Oaxaca Valley in southern Mexico. Founded around 500 BC, it became the capital of the Zapotec people and one of the first cities in Mesoamerica. Builders leveled the mountaintop by hand to create a vast plaza ringed by temples, palaces and platforms.

Carved stone figures called Danzantes were once thought to show dancers, but many experts now think they depict captives. Building J, shaped like an arrowhead and set at an angle, may have been used to watch the stars. A ball court hosted the Mesoamerican ball game.

The city declined after about AD 800. In 1932 archaeologist Alfonso Caso found Tomb 7, filled with a rich Mixtec treasure of gold, jade and carved bone placed in an older Zapotec tomb. Monte Albán and the city of Oaxaca became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Who built the city
How it was built
Which carvings stand out
What was found in Tomb 7
How it is protected

Did You Know?

Tomb 7's treasure is displayed in Oaxaca city.
Oaxaca is famous for mole sauces.
The site offers views over three valleys.
Zapotec is still spoken in Oaxaca.
Mitla is another important site nearby.