III.

The Decline of Zapotec Civilization

Monte Albán served as the Zapotec capital for about 1200 years. However, the city was nearly abandoned during the social and political upheavals that mark the beginning of the postclassic period (ad 700 to 1521). During this period, the Zapotec political system grew more fragmented and decentralized. Although weakened, the Zapotecs continued to exert some influence over parts of Oaxaca. Zapotec civilization declined in importance after Oaxaca was incorporated into the Aztec Empire in the middle of the 1400s. The situation further declined after the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 1520s. Zapotec villages experienced little economic development during the colonial period (1535-1821) or thereafter. The Zapotecs remained isolated and socially conservative throughout the 19th century. However, Benito Juárez, a Zapotec by birth, became one of Mexico’s most famous social reformers in the 1850s. Juárez served as president of Mexico between 1858 and 1872.