Mitla stands within the living town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla, east of Oaxaca City. Known in Zapotec as Lyobáa and to the Mexica as Mictlán, names associated with burial or the place of the dead, it became one of the Valley of Oaxaca’s principal religious and political centres. The archaeological remains are interwoven with streets, homes and an active Zapotec community rather than isolated behind an empty monumental perimeter.
Occupation in the area has deep roots, while the architecture most visitors see flourished especially during the Postclassic period after Monte Albán’s political decline. Zapotec traditions remained fundamental as interaction with Mixtec communities intensified. Calling Mitla simply a “Mixtec city” erases that more complex history; archaeology, colonial records and continuing local identity point to overlapping relationships rather than a clean replacement.