Zapotec
noun
Za·po·tec
ˌzä-pə-ˈtek 
ˌsä-,
ˌza-;
ˈzä-pə-ˌtek,
ˈsä-,
ˈza-
plural Zapotec or Zapotecs
: a member of an Indigenous people of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico
Examples of Zapotec in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Language of the Month: Zapotec Jack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history.
—
Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Subsequent research has found large olfactory lexicons in at least forty other languages, among them Fang, Khmer, Swahili, and Zapotec.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
The Música Mexicana revolution shaping Southern California Sept. 19, 2024
When looking through the vast selection, visitors can find stories from almost every Latin American country and even a few in Indigenous languages like Nahuatl and Zapotec.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
My grandfather spoke Zapotec but never taught my mom because there is a lot of discrimination toward Indigenous people.
—Damaly Gonzalez, refinery29.com, 3 Apr. 2024
This rural town, home to a community of Indigenous Zapotec weavers and dyers, also happened to be the birthplace and home of our guide, Edgar Mendoza Martinez.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2024
Among other uses, this can help detect any underground cavities—like those the Zapotec reportedly used in rituals connected with the cult of the dead—or buried objects and/or archaeological structures.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 July 2023
Also missing was any means of classifying ethnic or tribal groups—Maya, Zapotec, Xinca, Lenca, Afro-Colombian, and so on.
—Ananda Rose, Scientific American, 1 June 2015
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Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Subsequent research has found large olfactory lexicons in at least forty other languages, among them Fang, Khmer, Swahili, and Zapotec.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
The Música Mexicana revolution shaping Southern California Sept. 19, 2024
When looking through the vast selection, visitors can find stories from almost every Latin American country and even a few in Indigenous languages like Nahuatl and Zapotec.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
My grandfather spoke Zapotec but never taught my mom because there is a lot of discrimination toward Indigenous people.
—Damaly Gonzalez, refinery29.com, 3 Apr. 2024
This rural town, home to a community of Indigenous Zapotec weavers and dyers, also happened to be the birthplace and home of our guide, Edgar Mendoza Martinez.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2024
Among other uses, this can help detect any underground cavities—like those the Zapotec reportedly used in rituals connected with the cult of the dead—or buried objects and/or archaeological structures.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 July 2023
Also missing was any means of classifying ethnic or tribal groups—Maya, Zapotec, Xinca, Lenca, Afro-Colombian, and so on.
—Ananda Rose, Scientific American, 1 June 2015
Cite this Entry
“Zapotec.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Zapotec. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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