The Museo de Monte Alban is located at the entrance of the archaeological site. Open to the public since 1985, its rooms are home to beautiful pieces of Zapotec ceramics and sculptures, and a part of the engraved steles collection (some of the originals found on the site and others reproduced), which show the visitor the development of the Zapotec writing system during the more than thirteen centuries of occupation of the city (500 BC-800 AD). The exhibits also make reference to the discovery and exploration of Monte Alban, and have on display 3 mummified bodies that are buried with their original offerings, to represent the importance of the religious and burial practices of the Zapotecs. The museum is divided by exhibit halls: Introduction, Architecture, Ceramics, Sculpture, Commerce and Trade, Bone Collection, and the Collapse.
The museum offers guided tours, a bookstore, a cafe with terrace and parking.  The museum is open Monday thru Sunday from 8:00 to 6:00.  The price of admission is a small recovery fee that includes entrance to the museum and the archeological zone.

r09