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

Tamales originated from Mesoamerican cultures– Aztec, Maya, Mixtec, Olmec, Toltec, and the Zapotec– who would make tamales for special occasions. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Dec. 2025

The film claims Kahlo was of Indigenous Zapotec ancestry on her mother’s side, and thus briefly engages with that civilization’s worldview. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 Aug. 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

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

Word History

Etymology

Spanish zapoteca, from Nahuatl tzapotēcah, plural of tzapotēcatl, literally, person of (the land of) sapodillas, from tzapotl sapodilla fruit + -tēcatl person (from)

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Zapotec

• biotech
• bottleneck
• quarterdeck
• turtleneck
• aztec
• breakneck
• codec
• exec
• mixtec
• paycheck
• pinchbeck
• recheck