Monte Alban was a thriving metropolis by about 800 AD, at which time there were roughly 40,000 people living in and around the hilltop city. For comparison, note that in 1790, almost 1000 years later, New York City had approximately 33,000 residents. At that time, New York City was the largest city in the US.

This, of course, it just a picture of a glyph, but I liked it as an introductory photo. We'll sort of zoom out over the next few pages.