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Danzantes

c. 500–200 BCE · 6th century BCE · Also known as Los Danzantes

The Danzantes, 'dancers', are some three hundred carved stone slabs at Monte Albán in Oaxaca, Mexico, made in the city's earliest period, about 500 to 200 BCE. They show naked men in contorted poses, once thought to be dancers but now generally interpreted as slain or sacrificed captives, some with glyphs that are among the earliest evidence of Zapotec writing. They were set into the wall of a building on the Main Plaza.

Danzantes
Image: Gamaliel2412 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Monte Albán

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Danzantes. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/danzantes
MLA
“Danzantes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/danzantes. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Danzantes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/danzantes.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Danzantes’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/danzantes (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻