History
Top 7 Nahuatl Words That Still Shape Mexican Place Names
Nahuatl was once spoken across much of central Mexico and remains a living language today. Its influence is still written across the map: some of Mexico's best-known cities, states and regions carry names derived from Nahuatl words, often describing water, landscapes, animals or the people who lived there. Here are seven place names with Nahuatl origins — and the meanings hidden inside them.
Mexico — “Place of the Mexica”
The name Mexico is generally understood to derive from the Nahuatl Mēxihco, the name used for the heartland of the Mexica people and their capital, Tenochtitlan. The precise original meaning of Mēxihco remains debated by scholars, so it is safer to understand it as the place associated with the Mexica rather than rely on one definitive translation.
Nahuatl: Mēxihco Meaning: Place associated with the Mexica
Chapultepec — “At the Grasshopper Hill”
Today, Chapultepec is one of the most famous green spaces in Mexico City. Its name comes from the Nahuatl Chapōltēpēc, combining chapōlin (grasshopper) and tēpētl (hill or mountain), with the locative ending -c.
It is, quite literally, a place name connected to a hill and grasshoppers.
Nahuatl: Chapōltēpēc Meaning: At the grasshopper hill
Tepoztlán — “Place of Tepoztēcatl”
Tepoztlán, in Morelos, is another place whose name reaches back into Nahuatl. It is associated with Tepōztēcatl, the deity traditionally connected with the region and with pulque, the fermented agave drink.
The name is therefore more complicated than a simple literal translation, reflecting the area's religious and cultural history.
Nahuatl: Tepōztlān Meaning: Place associated with Tepoztēcatl
Acapulco — “Place of the Reeds”
Acapulco's name is generally traced to the Nahuatl Ācapōlco. The name is commonly analysed from ācatl (reed), pōlli and the locative element -co, producing a meaning along the lines of “place of the reeds”.
Today the word is inseparable from one of Mexico's most famous Pacific resorts.
Nahuatl: Ācapōlco Meaning: Place of the reeds
Coyoacán — “Place of Those Who Own Coyotes”
Coyoacán's name comes from the Nahuatl Coyōhuācan. It is generally interpreted as “place of those who own coyotes” or “place of the people who possess coyotes”.
The coyote was an important animal in the cultural world of central Mexico, and the name survives today as one of the most distinctive neighbourhood names in Mexico City.
Nahuatl: Coyōhuācan Meaning: Place of those who own coyotes
Iztapalapa — “Place of the Salt Water”
Iztapalapa is another Mexico City place name with a distinctly Nahuatl origin. It comes from Iztapālapan, traditionally interpreted as something like “upon the salt water” or “place of the salt water”.
That meaning makes particular sense in the historical landscape of the Valley of Mexico, where lakes once surrounded the settlements that eventually became part of Mexico City.
Nahuatl: Iztapālapan Meaning: Place of the salt water
Cholula — “Place of Flight”
Cholula, in Puebla, has a name derived from the Nahuatl Chollōllān or related forms. It is generally associated with the idea of fleeing or flight, although the precise etymology and interpretation of the name have been discussed by historians and linguists.
The modern city sits beside the enormous Great Pyramid of Cholula, making its ancient name part of a much older landscape than the colonial city that surrounds it today.
Nahuatl: Chollōllān Meaning: Place associated with flight
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