Monte Albán — North Platform & Elite Residences (Palaces)
Monumental northern terminus of the Gran Plaza with a sunken patio, temples, a ballcourt, and courtly residential compounds over painted tombs.Location and overall layout
The North Platform occupies the northern terminus of the main esplanade, reached by a monumental staircase rising from the Gran Plaza. On its summit and terraces are temples and shrines arranged around a distinctive Sunken Patio, and to the side a ballcourt; on and around its lower tiers stand palatial residential compounds with subterranean tombs. The complex is repeatedly described by INAH and museum syntheses as a principal ceremonial acropolis of Monte Albán. [1] [3] [4]Sunken Patio and summit architecture
At the heart of the platform is a square Sunken Patio, about 50 meters per side, with stairways on all four sides and a central altar or shrine. This patio lies several meters below the surrounding summit level and is framed by temple platforms, reflecting a controlled, high-status ceremonial space. INAH documentation (mediateca and site pages) provides the measurements and notes the altar at center. [4] [1]Ballcourt
Monte Albán has multiple ballcourts; one court is associated with the North Platform complex. INAH notes five ballcourts at the site and describes the typical I/double-T plan and north–south alley orientation. Scholarly syntheses concur that Monte Albán’s principal courts belong to the Formative–Classic sequence, with continued use into the Classic period. [8] [5]Elite residences (palaces) and tombs
Along the base and terraces of the North Platform are several elite residential compounds—multiroom “palaces” organized around patios—with subterranean tombs. The Metropolitan Museum emphasizes that elaborate royal tombs, furnished with funerary urns and murals, were placed beneath the North Platform. INAH mediateca records identify Tomb 104 on the northern base as part of an elite residence, remarking on its extraordinary wall paintings. Tomb 105 (northeast sector) is also recorded with polychrome mural programs. Research figures document the House of Tomb 103 as a multi-chambered residence–necropolis. [3] [6] [7] [10] [11] Iconography and offerings. The tomb murals include processional and deity imagery (e.g., rain/maize gods), calendrical glyphs, and ancestor veneration scenes; Cocijo urns and related effigies are documented with Tomb 104 and other North Platform contexts, underscoring cults tied to rain, lineage, and office. [7] [9] [3]Stelae and sculptural elements
The summit precinct preserves carved monuments such as Stela 9 and Stela 10 (the latter associated with the Sunken Patio altar in early excavations). Monte Albán’s stone sculpture tradition—low-relief slabs used as wall facings, stair treads, jambs (especially on tombs)—is well documented by the Met’s essays. These materials illustrate Monte Albán’s text–image program within ritual architecture. [5]Chronology and development
UNESCO/ICOMOS summaries and museum timelines place the major construction of the main plaza complex with its terminal platforms in Monte Albán II–III, when the city reached its classical zenith. Earlier foundations date to Monte Albán I, and some later modifications occurred in IV–V as the sacred city transformed into a more fortified town. [2] [12] [13] [15]Public vs. restricted spaces and governance
The elevated North Platform, with its controlled stairway access, sunken court, and palace compounds over tombs, signals a clear distinction between public ritual in the Gran Plaza and restricted ceremonies and residence atop the platform—consistent with an elite theocratic seat. INAH and museum syntheses frame the North Platform as a core ceremonial–administrative precinct for Monte Albán’s rulers. [1] [3]Visiting notes
Visitors ascend the grand south stair from the Gran Plaza to reach the platform summit. The Sunken Patio and surrounding temples are the key orientation points; around the base on the north and northeast, seek the palace complexes associated with Tombs 103–105 (interiors generally closed for conservation). The vantage delivers expansive views across the plaza and the Oaxaca valley. [1] [16]Related MAHC WIKI entries
References
- INAH — Monte Albán (Lugares INAH). Site overview; platforms at north and south; general complex descriptions. (English/Spanish).
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán. World Heritage listing (1987); phase summaries; terminal platforms bounding the plaza.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline — “Monte Albán”. North Platform royal tombs with urns/murals; plaza growth to c. AD 200.
- INAH Mediateca — “Patio hundido en la Plataforma Norte de Monte Albán”. Sunken Patio measures about 50 m per side; central altar; significance.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — “Monte Albán: Stone Sculpture”. Low-relief slabs in architectural contexts; tomb jambs; site-wide sculptural program.
- INAH Mediateca — “Pintura mural de la Tumba 104, Monte Albán”. Location at the northern base of the North Platform; elite residence context; murals.
- INAH — Estructura (Monte Albán). Sunken Patio description; mural of Tomb 105 (unfolded); general notes on the platform group.
- INAH — Juego de Pelota (Monte Albán). Note on five ballcourts at Monte Albán; I/double-T plan; orientation.
- FAMSI — Zapotec Effigy Vessels: Cocijo (Tomb 104). Urn associated with Tomb 104 façade/context.
- Mesoweb — Monte Albán Photo Gallery. Photographic documentation of Tomb 104 interior murals.
- Urcid, J. (figures via ResearchGate) — “House of Tomb 103 (isometric view)”. Plan/diagram referencing INAH/SINAFO documentation; residence–tomb complex.
- Met Timeline — “Mexico, 1–500 A.D.”. Monte Albán expansion and regional context in the Early Classic.
- ICOMOS (UNESCO file) — Advisory text on Monte Albán. Plaza esplanade c. 300 m with platforms at each end; phases II–III construction.
- Feinman, G. & Nicholas, L. (2011). “The Ballcourt at El Palmillo”. Comparative Oaxacan ballcourts; Monte Albán ballcourt chronology/context.
- UNESCO WHC page (narrative) — Monte Albán. Phases II–III urbanization; later IV–V fortification trends.
- INAH — Visitor information snippet. Access overview; platform as key visitation area.
