Las lápidas del montículo J de Monte Albán y el surgimiento del Estado en los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca

Abstract

This paper discusses the construction of Mound J at Monte Alban and the iconography of its reliefs within the framework of state formation in Oaxaca. As an integral part of the architectural space alloted to the astronomical commemoration complex, this building allowed its designers to place both horizontal and vertical aspects of political organization within a cosmology that emphasized distinct natural cycles. Social complexity inferred for period II, on the other hand, would not seem to respond to military action but to structural modifications which enhanced continuity and an expansion of social relationships with other Mesoamerican regions.