Zapotec

American  

[zap-uh-tek, zah-puh-, sah-paw-tek] / ˈzæp əˌtɛk, ˈzɑ pə-, ˌsɑ pɔˈtɛk /

noun

PLURAL

Zapotecs,

PLURAL

Zapotec

1. a member of an American Indian people living in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

2. the Oto-Manguean language of the Zapotecs, consisting of a number of highly divergent dialects.

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adjective

1. Archaeology. of or relating to a Mesoamerican Indian civilization of the Oaxaca region of Mexico c600 b.c. to a.d. 1000, characterized by a bar-and-dot system of enumeration, a calendar of Mayan derivation, ball courts, and underground frescoed tombs.

Zapotec British  

/ ˈzɑːpəˌtɛk /

noun

1. Also: Zapotecan.  any member of a large tribe of central American Indians inhabiting S Mexico, esp the Mexican state of Oaxaca

2. the group of languages spoken by this people

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adjective

1. Also: Zapotecan.  of or relating to this people or their language

Etymology

Origin of Zapotec

< Mexican Spanish zapoteco < Nahuatl tzapotēcah, plural of tzapotēcatl person from Tzapotlān ( tzapo ( tl ) sapodilla + -tēcatl suffix of personal nouns, -tlān locative suffix)

Example Sentences

“The blazer includes one floral lapel in traditional Zapotec embroidery. So beautiful without being costumey,” Brown said.

From Seattle Times

One of the photos shows a naked Mendieta in a Zapotec tomb, with flowers bursting forth from her arms and legs, obscuring her face and most of her body.

From Washington Post

Department of Public Health — it has secured vaccination appointments for more than 140 people, including a 96-year-old Zapotec man, and reached out to hundreds of others.

From Los Angeles Times

Gutiérrez continued to refine his skills until he could render difficult curves — relatively uncommon in Zapotec weavings — flawlessly.

From New York Times

It is thought to have been built by the Zapotecs, who lived in the southern highlands of what is now Mexico.

From BBC