March02_2010

Botanical Glossary - Home - References Cited

Monte Albán is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The site is located on a low mountainous range rising above the plain in the central section of the Valley of Oaxaca where the latter's northern Etla, eastern Tlacolula, and southern Zimatlán/Ocotlán (or Valle Grande) branches meet. The present-day state capital Oaxaca City is located approximately 9 km (6 mi) east of Monte Albán.

Photos - Interesting relief carvings upon the inside walls of the Temple of Danzantes in the southwestern portion of Monte Alban, Oaxaca Mexico. To get to Monte Alban, take the Calz. V. Trujano or the Antigua Carretera a Monte Alban from highway 175 at the edge southwestern edge of Oaxaca City. It is well marked with signs along the roads, and well marked on local maps so you won't get lost.

Photos - Frames left and right: Two more of the relief carvings etched into stones inside the Temple of Danzantes at Monte Alban.

Center frame: A Main Plaza View of the northeastern face of Building J (the building that we now know to have been an observatory) constructed of large stone slabs in the form of a great arrowhead that points southwest. It is speculated that this particular orientation was purposely done to align the building with Capella which is is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the eleventh brightest star in the night sky and the third brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus and Vega. Although it appears to be a single star to the naked eye, it is actually a star system of four stars in two binary pairs. The first pair consists of two bright, large type-G giant stars, both with a radius around 10 times the Sun's, in close orbit around each other. These two stars are thought to be cooling and expanding on their way to becoming red giants. The second pair, around 10,000 astronomical units from the first, consists of two faint, small and relatively cool red dwarfs. The Capella system is relatively close, at only 42.2 light-years (12.9 pc) from Earth.

Photos - Views of the southern face (frames left and right) and the northwestern corner (center frame) of the Ball Court at Monte Alban. Note the peculiar white column with relief carving which stands like a commissioned work of art in a park or plaza in our modern time.

Click here for more photos of Monte Alban for this day.