Get to know a little about bones in art and ancient Zapotec culture as we delve into the fascinating world of Monte Albán in Oaxaca, Mexico! This video introduces us to a remarkable artifact—an intricately crafted vertebral column, or backbone, made by the Zapotec people in ancient Mexico over 2,000 years ago. It’s a wonderful example from Mesoamerican art history! Mesoamerica refers to Mexico and much of Central America prior to European invasions. The vertebral column was intricately molded from clay to resemble a human backbone and likely functioned as a stand.

Monte Albán is an elevated city overlooking a picturesque valley, once ruled by the Zapotec people. The site has a long, rich history. The ceramic backbone helps us learn about Zapotec beliefs and customs surrounding life, death, and the afterlife. It helps us learn a bit about ancestor veneration. The video also explores the significance of bones in Zapotec culture.

From ancestor veneration to the powerful symbolism of bones, this video offers some insight into the profound connection between the living and the departed as we uncover the mysteries of the Zapotec civilization.

Plus, Lauren couldn’t help from making bone puns so the video is humerus.

Main artwork:

Support or vase in the shape of a spine (vertebral column or back bone), Zapotec, Late Preclassic Period, c. 300–250 CE, clay with pigment, from Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico. National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.

Chapters in this video

0:00 Introduction to the backbone stand and Monte Albán

0:28 Monte Albán and the Zapotecs (or Ben ‘Zaa) in the Valley of Oaxaca

0:59 Close looking at the anatomically correct backbone stand

1:22 The meaning of bones among the Zapotecs

1:51 The backbone stand in ceremonies and death and dying

2:09 Ancestors and ancestor veneration

2:50 A powerful symbol

National Learning Standards

World History

NSS-WH.5-12.3 ERA 3: CLASSICAL TRADITIONS, MAJOR RELIGIONS, AND GIANT EMPIRES, 1000 BCE-300 CE