Monte Alban V

  General Description   The Monte Alban V period is generally known for the balkianisation of polities in the valley. ^[1] The length assigned to the Monte Albán V phase is due to the consistency of ceramic style throughout the period, and lack of evidence for major changes in other archaeological remains. There may have been many changes over these centuries, but it has been argued that the conservatism of ceramics suggests a time of relative political stability. ^[2] The primary evidence for this period comes from the accounts written by the Spanish after they arrived in the 1520s. This means that there is much more information than previous periods for certain aspects of life for the inhabitants of Oaxaca, such as the name for the head of the ruling class (the coquitao or “great lord”) and full-time priests (bigaña), ^[3] but less information in other respects as there were no longer any monumental buildings or large settlements being constructed. The unified valley under the Zapotec state had gone by this period, replaced by around 15-20 smaller polities ^{[4] [5]} which were often fighting one another (as suggested by the widespread use of fortifications and descriptions in the ethnohistoric records), ^[6] but the overall population of the valley continued to increase to the highest number yet reached in the valley. ^[4] In addition, craft work and specialisation became more widespread, with more finely decorated ceramics being produced throughout the valley and were not just concentrated in the main settlements as before. ^[7]

[1]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York. p217

[2]: Blanton, Kowalewski, Feinman, Appel (1982) Monte Alban’s Hinterland, Part I: The Prehispanic settlement patterns of the Central and Southern Parts of the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. Prehistory and human ecology of the Valley of Oaxaca, Vol. 7. p115

[3]: Flannery, K. V. and J. Marcus (1976). "Formative Oaxaca and Zapotec Cosmos." American Scientist 64(4): 374-383, p376

[4]: Blanton, R. E., et al. (1979). "Regional evolution in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico." Journal of Field Archaeology 6(4): 369-390. p385

[5]: Feinman, G. M., et al. (1985). "Long-term demographic change: A perspective from the valley of Oaxaca, Mexico." Journal of Field Archaeology 12(3): 333-362. p359-61

[6]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217

[7]: Blanton, R. E., et al. (1979). "Regional evolution in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico." Journal of Field Archaeology 6(4): 369-390. p387