The pyramids of Egypt, which still stand along the Nile River after so many millennia, are well known. However, other cultures erected monuments of this type in various places on Earth. The Mesopotamian ziggurats or the Mayan and Zapotec step pyramids are several examples.
These last two civilizations populated what is now Mexico along with the Mexica and Olmec. The Mayan culture also inhabited Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador.
Among the notable differences, the language stands out, since the Mayan and Zapotec languages come from two different linguistic families (the first from the Mayan family and the second from the Otomanguean). The two populations still retain their original languages, although they are bilingual in Spanish.
Among the differences notable highlights include language, since the Mayan and Zapotec languages come from two different linguistic families (the former from the Mayan family and the latter from the Otomanguean family). Both populations still preserve their original languages, although they are bilingual in Spanish.
The two towns had an almost simultaneous decline around the 10th century AD. Some historians think that it could be due to a great drought that devastated part of Mexico. However, they continued to fight for their survival, building new cities until the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
The Spanish, with a civilization that was emerging as a power, found a powerful ally in local disputes to conquer those lands. They even formed alliances with some tribes to dominate civilizations like the Aztecs. The Zapotecs repulsed the Spanish on more than one occasion, but eventually succumbed to more advanced military might.
As a consequence of this, today genes of the Basque ethnic group are found in the modern Mayans, since a large proportion of Spanish conquerors came from Vitoria or Vizcaya.
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