Furthermore, using the maps generated from the lidar alongside the artifacts found on the site, Ramón Celis was able to establish Guiengola as a military base alongside an urban center consisting of planned community spaces that reflected social stratification. The city was abandoned just before the arrival of the Spanish, and the citizens subsequently relocated to the nearby Tehuantepec.
Ramón Celis affirms that this discovery is key to understanding the politics and social structure of the Zapotec civilization right before European contact was established, including how the power was exerted and how the native Zapotec leaders dealt with the Spanish.
In addition to their highly ritualistic ties to the Mesoamerican civilization’s underworld and connections to fertility, ballcourts held great importance in Guiengola. Their existence indicates that spiritual life and politics were integrated with the organizational structure of the city.