The City on the Hill.

DEPARTMENTS In the Valley of Oaxaca - the largest expanse of flat land in Mexico's Southern Highlands - most early sedentary villages (c. 1500-500 bce) were situated on or near well-watered land. MAP: The Southern Highlands of Mexico, which encompass the Valley of Oaxaca and adjacent Ejutla Valley, and the location of Monte Albán and pre-Monte Albán head towns. During the era of its establishment, not only was Monte Albán larger than any earlier community in the region, but many other settlers moved into the rural area around Monte Albán. For the Valley of Oaxaca as a whole, there was no pressure on resources during the earliest periods when per-unit maize yields were the lowest, at the time that Monte Albán was initially settled, or in later periods when the valley's population reached its highest levels, even in years of lower-than-normal rainfall. [Extracted from the article]
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