Above the Valley of Oaxaca, on an artificially-leveled mountain and under the full glare of the unforgiving Mexican sun, we squeezed our way through a throng of fellow tourists clamoring for… Hats. The entire population of our bus — well, except those already donning them — stomped straight to the stalls as if it was the first item on the itinerary. Hubby and I also purchased for us and for one year-old Luna.

There went our budget for the day, no thanks to tour group pressure.

Tens of Mexican pesos poorer yet looking more Latin American, we passed and ignored a mob of guides we couldn’t afford (make that, chose not to afford) who were calling out to us, “Guía? Ingles?”. We made our way to the Gran Plaza as directed by a map we brought. In archaeological sites such as Monte Alban where ruins are not marked/labeled (and even if they are, they’re in the local language), we snack on our own words “we don’t need a guide book” and unashamedly tuck one under an arm for easy access to information.

With one look at Monte Albán’s main plaza, we knew. Those hats were to become some of our best buys in Mexico. The enormous space had zero shade. And approaching midday, the heat was unbearable. Fellow tourists were like zombies dragging their feet from one mound of ruin to another. I slumped on the ground in the middle of the plaza and peeked in our guide book. As I made mental notes of significant parts to cover (using the quickest route possible), Luna threw her ill-fitting hat towards me and crawled about as if finding a way to escape the heat. She resigned within just a minute and decided to play with the grass like what she did in Teotihuacán.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Monte Albán is one of the greatest Zapotec cities. It was first occupied around 500 BC. The leveling of the mountain top (by hand!) where it sits is a marvel of engineering. Its structures (some were temples and some were accommodations of the city’s elite), though not as gargantuan as those in other regions, are imposing nevertheless. By AD 900, it was largely abandoned and was only occupied by the Mixtecs to reuse the city’s tombs.

The trail I plotted moved in a clockwise direction. We only climbed a few of the ruins including the South Platform and the North Platform, mainly for the sweeping views of the valley floor. Luna’s burnt cheeks forced us to breeze by the Danzantes (carved stone slabs depicting forms of torture such as genital mutilation) at Building L and rush towards the small museum back at the entrance for refuge. Unfortunately, although the museum housed a lot of artifacts, the information’s just in Spanish so we didn’t stay long.

Clutching our bus tickets, we sprinted towards a bus about to depart for Oaxaca city center. I glanced over my shoulder for a last look of Monte Albán. In my head, I tipped my new sombrero farewell to the ancient city.

How to get to Monte Albán from Oaxaca City:

Catch the bus from Hotel Rivera del Ángel at Francisco Javier Mina 518. Buses leave every hour (or half an hour depending on the season) from 8:30 AM. Return trip fare is about 55 Mexican pesos, the ticket should indicate the schedule of your return (three hours later). Monte Albán roundtrip bus ticket price in 2011 durin our visit was 40 Mexican pesos.

Three hours is more than enough to explore this archaeological site. Early morning may be pleasant but that’s when the tour groups are at the site. Midday is not so crowded but too hot. Late afternoon is the most ideal. Last bus from Monte Albán leaves at 5:00 PM.

Hiring a guide, though we didn’t do it, is recommended. Bring water, snacks, hat and sunscreen.