Mitla also means “lugar de los muertos o inframundo” (place of the dead or underworld. It is an important Zapotec site and religious center. To visitors today, it is an excellent example of the power of the Zapotec people to assemble large structures (stone walls, courtyards, columns and the like) with ornate designs out of polished stones that were pieced together without mortar. Moreover, these structures also still retain some of the color red that they were painted. Not as magnificent in size as Monte Alban, Mitla is magnificent in the connection it has to ceremony and religion.
Upon arriving, we went to the ticket booth and purchased entrance into the site. While one side is free and open to the public, the other requires a ticket for entrance. As we entered, we met a friendly man from Puebla. He was eager to tell us how to tour the site, explaining that the tombs were a treat, so we should see the other sites first. He explained that he returns to Mitla every year, and he was proud to have his grandsons with him on this trip. He was a bit concerned as they navigated the steep steps, but they (and I) were able to climb up and down carefully. The man was so sweet and genuinely thrilled to be visiting the site, he said he wants to get his granddaughter who knows English to teach him some, so he can tell people like us a little bit more about this sacred place. No guidebook could convey this excitement.
shewhodaresnothing 