(Zapotec name, Yoopaa), one of the oldest cultural and political centers in southern Mexico, in the modern state of Oaxaca. It arose in the eighth century B.C., but almost nothing is known about the earliest history of the settlement. From the tenth to 14th centuries A.D., Mitla was the center of the Zapotec culture. In the 15th century Mitla was conquered by the Mixtec, who created splendid architectural works—palaces, temples, and underground tombs. A distinctive feature of Mitla building decoration is the use of mosaic panels to adorn inner and outer walls. The flat wooden roofs of the structures were supported by monolithic stone columns. Small narrow bands of frescoes above doorways depicted scenes from Mixtec mythology. Prior to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, Mitla again became a Zapotec city and the residence of the Zapotec high priest. The city was later partly destroyed by the Spaniards, who built a Catholic church on its site. Study of Mitla’s ruins began in the late 19th century; important work has been done by W. Holmes, E. Seler, A. Caso, and I. Bernal.