The Temple of Danzantes is thought to be the first permanent structure in Monte Alban. It is faced with stones depicting nude males, many resembling the Olmec in features. There is plenty of evidence that the Zapotecs were using the 52 year calendar cycle, because of hieroglyphs, numerals and calendric inscriptions. B.C. It is often referred to as an observatory and is curiously shaped like an arrow. On the face of the structure are 40 stones with carvings of places thought to be conquered by the Zapotecs.
Teotihuacan influence is found in certain styles and decorations of the pottery.
They most certainly were trading goods with the Teotihuacan. Intricate funerary urns appear in the burials and the tombs are decorated with paintings of gods and priests, all brightly colored. Many of the structures and paintings show their influence. After A.D.1000 up to the conquest, Monte Alban was slowly deserted, leaving the city to crumble and rot in the highlands of Mexico. The Zapotecs most likely didn't inhabit the city itself.