When the Spanish arrived in 1521, the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs were involved in one of their many wars.
Tukaj so imeli strateški vojaški položaj imenovan Cerro del Fortín, iz katerega so pazili na Zapoteško središče Zaachila in zagotavljali varno trgovsko pot med Mehiško Dolino, Tehuantepecom in ostalo Mezoameriko.