On the tour that brought us to Teotitlan, we also visited the mystical archeological site of Mitla. Again, I’m inserting the description from Wikipedia because it is a good summary of what is important about this site. I took some video of the temple and meditation spaces. The site is over 70% intact and you can see that the incredibly detailed carvings in the stone are still very visible.
Half of the tour group was senior gringos and I was prepared to be annoyed with them because they can be annoying. I had been watching and judging them downtown all week. Fussy. Entitled. Inflexible. Hawaiian shirts. Socks with sandals. The usual. Much to my surprise and delight, however, I got totally schooled in cool by a group member who was probably 80. He seemed to know a LOT about the religious practices of the Zapotecs and what went on at their temples, particularly with respect to how the goings on involved what are now now illegal substances. Specifically, the Zapotecs ground up and mixed psychedelic mushrooms, peyote and mezcal into a hot-chocolate-type drink and the “connections would come” (our tour guide’s words). I was like “Whoa, that is CRAZY” and the senior gringo said “Oh, yeah. It’s incredible. I smoked peyote at the same time I took psychedelic mushrooms when I was visiting a shaman in the jungle in Peru. I was sick for three days afterward. It was fantastic.” Man. Respect.
From Wikipedia: “Mitla is the second most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture.[1][The site is located 44 km from the city of Oaxaca.[2] in the upper end of the Tlacolula Valley, one of the three that form the Central Valleys Region of the state.[3] The archeological site is within the modern municipality of San Pablo Villa de Mitla.[4] While Monte Albán was most important as the political center, Mitla was the main religious center.[3] The name Mitla is derived from the Nahuatl name Mictlán, which was the place of the dead or underworld. Its Zapotec name is Lyobaa, which means “place of rest.” The name Mictlán was Hispanicized to Mitla by the Spanish.[5] However, what makes Mitla unique among Mesoamerican sites is the elaborate and intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that cover tombs, panels, friezes and even entire walls. These mosaics are made with small, finely cut and polished stone pieces which have been fitted together without the use of mortar. No other site in Mexico has this.
Mitla is one of many well-preserved archeological sites of the Oaxaca Valley, where the dry climate has conserved sites as old as 10,000 years. This valley was settled by the Zapotecs who over the centuries developed a hierarchical society governed by kings and nobles. While the valley was relatively isolated, the Zapotecs did have contacts with other Mesoamerican peoples. By the time the Spanish arrived, the Zapotec state had a population of over 500,000, sophisticated construction techniques, a writing system, two calendar systems and agriculture that included the growing of maize, beans, squash, and chili peppers, using irrigation and terraces in the mountains to grow food for a mostly urban population.”