ZAACHILA. The name of an archaeological site near Monte Alban in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, and a prominent noble house, or lineage, of the Postclassic Zapotec people. This ruin contains palace compounds and elite tombs that are similar to those found at Monte Alban and Mitla. Zaachila was one of the more powerful and influential Zapotec lineages in Oaxaca, and its members are listed in pictographic and hieroglyphic codices (especially the Codex Nuttall) from ancient Oaxaca.
Around A.D. 1280 a Zapotec prince, Lord 5 Flower, married a royal Mixtec woman, Lady 4 Rabbit, in a marriage alliance, and this is how the Zaachila lineage and house was formed. These nobles were buried in tombs at the site and in mummy bundles at the adjacent archaeological center of Mitla during the Postclassic Period. The historical and archaeological records indicate that the Zapotec and Mixtec dynasties interacted, intermarried, and traded heavily beginning in this period, and this allowed the Mixtec to establish settlements in the area.
ZAPOTEC (Zah-poh-tehk). Language and culture found in the central and southern portions of the state of Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico, which is distantly related to that of the nearby Mixtec people. Classic to Postclassic period ruins with ceremonial plazas, ornate stone buildings, temples, palaces, inscribed stone monuments (some with hieroglyphic texts), and richly stocked tombs are located in the Valley of Oaxaca. The Zapotec region varies in climate and geography from the high mountain valleys to the hot tropical coast, which has abundant natural resources and fertile land for maize agriculture. The lands and cities of the Zapotec people were highly sought after by later Aztec rulers and the Spanish conquistadores to increase their wealth, tribute payments, and labor pools.
There is disagreement as to when Zapotec culture is first witnessed in the archaeological record. Some archaeologists believe that the culture began in the Valley of Oaxaca by 1400 B.C., while others contend that it was not present until A.D. 200. Classic Zapotec civilization (ca. A.D. 200–900) was centered at the picturesque hilltop site of Monte Alban in the Valley of Oaxaca. Here, large stone temples containing tombs filled with fine ceramics, worked jade, precious metals, including gold, and painted murals were discovered. Some of these artifacts attest to interaction with Teotihuacan, the Maya, and the Mixtec. Hieroglyphs contain calendar round dates, names of historical rulers and captives, and descriptions of events. A Zapotec enclave was discovered at Teotihuacan in central Mexico.
Mitla is an important Postclassic site and is appreciated for the intricate geometric mosaic facades on its buildings. The archaeological and historical evidence suggests that Zapotec society was made up of rulers, priests, farmers, traders, craft specialists, and laborers, but that only small regional polities and loosely controlled local economies with some distant trade were present. Today, parts of highland Oaxaca and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec are where much of traditional Zapotec language and customs are still celebrated.