The Zapotec was an advanced Mesoamerican civilization that was prominent before the arrival of the Europeans. There are evidences of the civilization at the ancient city of Monte Alban, which was once a popular city in Mesoamerica.
The Zapotecs dominated much of the territory that today belongs to Oaxaca in Mexico.
The Zapotec rulers were powerful, and seized control of many provinces outside the valley of Oaxaca, as none of these provinces could compete with them politically and militarily.
The Zapotecs depended on rivers for their agriculture. They also used canal irrigation to provide water for crops away from the river.
The Zapotecs developed a calendar and a writing system which is believed to be the first one in Mesoamerica.