The ancient ruins of Yagul

After our quick tour of the Mezcal Factory, we made our way to another ancient ruin, about 20 miles away, called Yagul, which, among other things, is the site of the 2nd largest ballcourt in Mesoamerica. It is located, as are most of these ruins, on a plateau, this one with a commanding view of one of the three main valleys of Oaxaca. In ancient Zapotec, Yagul means "Old Tree".

For some reason, I felt more connected to Yagul than Mitla or Monte Alban. It was very intimate, and one could easily imagine life here in 900 A.D. as young people got married, children played, and the rich led a life of relative ease. The views were breathtaking and we had fun exploring the houses and imagining how the people lived here.