 The Central Valleys of Oaxaca, the cradle of Zapotec civilization, are three broad valleys—Etla in the west, Ocotlán in the south and Mitla in the east—that join at an altitude of about 4500 feet above sea level in the center of what today is the state of Oaxaca.They are located about 200 km south of Mexico City.Mountains surround the valley with The Sierra Norte in the north and the mountains of Tlacolula in the southeast.