I visited this WHS in December 2021 before and after a very long drive full of hairpins to Oaxaca's far-away beaches. This WHS is practically 2 WHS in 1, yet another colonial town packed with beautiful churches with intricately decorated interiors and another pre-Columbian archaeological site.

Both sites are very enjoyable and we were glad we had allowed some 3-4 days in total even though if pressed for time both can be easily covered in one full day with the Yagul WHS in the late afternoon. Monte Alban is best visited early in the morning not only because of the lighting for photography but also because there is no shade anywhere apart from under a couple of trees and it can get very hot here. We were there quite early, mostly because entrance was limited to a low number of visitors which was monitored already going uphill with a makeshift traffic light. By using public transport, you get to jump all the queing vehicles uphill, at least during COVID restriction times. Another important reason to wake up early was to beat any protestors blocking all the main roads and literally trapping anyone inside the city, which seems to be quite a recurring problem here.

Practically we were among the very first visitors and having printed a small map beforehand, we headed straight towards the Main Plaza to enjoy the panoramic views from the North and South Platforms void of people. The most striking building was the "pyramid-like" structure of the West Platform. Then we focused on the stelae (most of which are replicas apart from some of the "dancers"; although we had already seen plenty of originals in the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City), as well as the scattered stone carvings. Monte Alban's OUV lies in its importance for nearly one thousand years as the main Zapotec socio-political and economic center.

In Oaxaca City, definitely do not miss the over-the-top interior of the Santo Domingo de Guzman Church at the Alameda de Leon plaza and the adjacent large Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca. Other churches worth mentioning are the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, the Oaxaca Cathedral, and the Compania de Jesus Church. Two interesting monasteries or former convents actually are the Santa Catalina de Siena monastery and the former Convent of Cuilapam de Guerrero. I'm not usually a big fan, but the several handicraft shops and boutiques here had some very unique stuff so we stocked up our souvenirs mostly from here. There are two UNESCO plaques, one in the Alameda de Leon plaza in Oaxaca City and the other just a few steps after the Monte Alban entrance or exit.

All in all I really enjoyed both locations and I'm glad I had skipped visiting during my first trip to Mexico as it would have probably paled after Calakmul, Palenque and Tikal. By the way, another useful tip to keep in mind if you're not an insectivore is that "chapulines" means grasshoppers as they're considered as a delicacy here more than in other places around Mexico!