Los Danzantes (Building L Gallery), Monte Albán: Research Synthesis

This institutional research report examines Los Danzantes, the corpus of more than 300 carved stone slabs associated with Building L at Monte Albán, Oaxaca. Dating primarily to the Formative period, approximately 500–100 BCE, the gallery combines depictions of nude, contorted, and mutilated male figures with some of the earliest known examples of Zapotec hieroglyphic writing. The report synthesizes archaeological, architectural, iconographic, and epigraphic research concerning Building L-sub, the original arrangement and subsequent dismantling and reuse of the carved slabs, their relationship to San José Mogote Monument 3, and interpretations ranging from war captives and state violence to ancestor veneration, elite bloodletting, and social memory. It also examines Stelae 12 and 13, the historiography of Danzantes research, and the modern excavation, conservation, and curation of the monuments. This record contains version 3.0 of the research report together with an accompanying ZIP archive of supporting documentation. Document ID: MA-DANZ-2026.