Oaxaca

Part of speech: proper noun

Definitions

1. A state in southern Mexico known for its indigenous cultures, colonial architecture, and distinctive cuisine
2. A region in Mexico celebrated for its rich cultural heritage, traditional crafts, and vibrant cuisine
3. A Mexican state recognized for its diverse ethnic groups, historical significance, and unique culinary offerings

Etymology: The name begins with a nose. In Classical Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica and their neighbours, "Huāxyacac" combined "huāxin", the huaje tree (a leguminous plant now called Leucaena leucocephala), with "yacatl", meaning "nose" or "point". The name is usually read as "on the nose of the huaje trees" or "at the tip of the huaje", a reference to a hill whose profile was marked by these trees. An honorific suffix, "-tzin", was attached to the hill's name, and the Spanish, who adopted the name as "Oaxaca", preserved its shape while wearing down its sounds. The regional name thus began as a description of a hill rather than of a territory. Spanish colonists took the Nahuatl name and applied it first to the city and later to the wider region, so the landscape feature gave way to a place name that now covers the state and its people.