Oaxaca

American  

[wuh-hah-kuh, wah-hah-kah] / wəˈhɑ kə, wɑˈhɑ kɑ /

noun

1. a state in S Mexico. 36,375 sq. mi. (94,210 sq. km).

2. a city in and the capital of this state, in the central part.

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Oaxaca British  

/ wəˈhɑːkə, oaˈxaka /

noun

1. a state of S Mexico, on the Pacific: includes most of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec; inhabited chiefly by Indians. Capital: Oaxaca de Juárez. Pop: 3 432 180 (2000). Area: 95 363 sq km (36 820 sq miles)

2. Official name: Oaxaca de Juárez.  a city in S Mexico, capital of Oaxaca state: founded in 1486 by the Aztecs and conquered by Spain in 1521. Pop: 483 000 (2005 est)

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Example Sentences

In 2022, the team traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, a region deeply tied to mezcal production.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026

Everyone had a nickname: El Oaxaqueño from Oaxaca; Chinola from Sinaloa; Los Hondureños, the two guys from Honduras.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026

Jumpponen said some Volvariella species can be found in Oaxaca.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

Sheinbaum's interest in her art had "changed her life," the trained business administrator said in Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where she now plies her art.

From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026

Emblematic of this rocketing growth were the Olmec's neighbors in Oaxaca, the Zapotec, whom Flannery and Marcus have studied for more than two decades.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann