Mitla — Decipher the Codices of the Underworld
Uncover the hidden prophecy encoded in Mitla's sacred mosaics and painted lintels before the Spanish conquest erases the last Zapotec secrets forever.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the 15th century, as Monte Albán's power faded, Mitla rose as the spiritual heart of Zapotec civilization—a place where the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin
Mitla — Decipher the Codices of the Underworld
You are a Zapotec apprentice scribe, in Mitla, 1521.
In the 15th century, as Monte Albán's power faded, Mitla rose
1521 — The ultimate refuge of Zapotec wisdom
« Mitla is a burial place so revered that even kings come here to die »— Francisco de Burgoa, Palestra Historial (1670)
Mitla — The City of the Dead
Mitla (from the Nahuatl Mictlan, 'place of the dead') was for centuries the most sacred religious center of Zapotec civilization. Built between 100 and 1521 CE, this city was ruled by a hereditary high priest who consulted oracles and presided over funeral rites for nobles throughout Oaxaca. Its palaces adorned with geometric mosaics unique in the world testify to extraordinary architectural mastery.
The arrival of Spanish conquistadors in 1521 marked the brutal end of this millennial tradition. The Dominicans built the church of San Pablo directly on the main palace, a symbol of forced Christianization. Yet the underground monuments preserved their secrets: in the Palace of Columns and the Church Group, more than 100,000 stone tesserae form cosmological patterns that encoded the Zapotec calendar and sacred astronomical cycles.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The Route
8 sites to explore by car within the day
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Sacred Architecture
Explore Zapotec palaces adorned with 100,000 geometric mosaics unique in the world
Lost Codices
Reconstruct the pictographic manuscripts that priests hid before the conquest
Zapotec Astronomy
Decipher the cosmological cycles carved into the monuments of the City of the Dead
Eight glyphs for the ultimate prophecy
Archaeological and astronomical journey in Mitla
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Is Mitla — Decipher the Codices of the Underworld similar to a treasure hunt?
Same spirit: search, deduce, find. But here the "treasure" is a full story to piece together in eight stops. Each stop gives you a fragment of the final code. Eight fragments later, you've cracked it.
Q02Can we split Mitla — Decipher the Codices of the Underworld across two days?
Yes — your code stays active and progress is saved. You can start Saturday afternoon, finish Sunday morning. Some players actually prefer this format to make the most of a full weekend on site.
Q03Can we do Mitla — Decipher the Codices of the Underworld as a family with kids?
Yes, from age 6 with an adult reading puzzles aloud, and from age 12 on their own. Kids love the "find the camera clue" part — it's very visual, gets them genuinely involved.
Q04What's the best time to start?
Morning between 10 and 11, or early afternoon around 2 PM, is ideal. You still have daylight ahead, Mitla, Tlacolula Valley is less crowded, and the light is better for camera clues.
Adventurer reviews
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Your turn to play
Unravel the astronomical mysteries that Zapotec priests carved into their mosaic palaces. Between sacred geometry and cosmic prophecies, reconstruct the last codex of Mitla before the conquistadors forever sealed the secrets of the City of the Dead.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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