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Basic overview

The Zapotec allow access to Zapotec Lightning Warriors and also give access to three technologies. One allows faster gathering from berries, mills and plantations, the second increases damage melee heavy infantry deal, and the last gives you a varying number of wood crates depending on how long the game has lasted. You can have 15 Zapotec for each Zapotec trading post you control, and they appear on one standard map; Yucatan.

The unit – Zapotec Lightning Warrior

The Zapotec are a melee heavy infantry unit. Once again, like almost all the others before it, I have upgraded this unit to its elite status to get a more accurate comparison.

Analysis

Like a lot of native melee heavy infantry units, the Zapotec Lightning Warrior has a lot of HPs at the cost of its attack. Also like a lot of these units, the Lightning Warrior can struggle to successfully protect anything from a cavalry charge, due to that low base damage value. It is however better than the very similar Nootka - due to the fact one of the Zapotec technologies can improve its hand attack damage. Added to which, it does a little bit more damage to begin with while keeping a similar amount of HPs, but it is a little on the costly side in comparison.

Technology

Zapotec Cloud People

Cost: 225 Food, 225 Coin

Effect: Gives you 1 crate of 100 wood for every 2 minutes of game time, caps at 30 minutes

Comments: Excellent about 16 minutes or more in. It easily gives enough wood for a town center, and can supply either some wood-costing units, technologies, ships or other buildings. It can also make the jump to mills and/or plantations a lot easier.

Zapotec Cult of the Dead

Cost: 200 wood, 200 coin

Effect: Melee Heavy infantry damage is increased by 20%

Comments: A sizeable amount of Zapotec alone will make this technology cost effective, but it is even more useful if you can get access to stronger melee units, such as Doppelsoldners or certain mercenaries. The technology is fairly cheap considering its effect.

Zapotec Food of the Gods

Cost: 175 wood, 175 coin

Effect: Villagers gather rates for berries, mills, farms and plantations increased by 10%

Comments: Like the similar Udasi technology, this one is a no-brainer in the late game, but it may be useful earlier for most civilizations because it also improves the gather rate of berries. Not as much as the Bhakti technology perhaps, but if you are about to start farming, you can delay slightly longer by getting this technology and using up some of the berries which are slightly better than farms to begin with.

Summary

The Zapotec are very well rounded in economic benefits and military strength in the early, mid and late game. If you have the Zapotec on Yucatan, you can build a trade post there and get access to canoes on Yucatan if you are not playing a native civilization. You can also then take advantage of their technologies - such as the Cloud People technology allowing you to build a large amount of canoes, or the improvement to mill and plantation gather rates. Too many times I see recorded games on Yucatan where they get the Zapotec allies for canoes, and not use their awesome technologies.