Mixtec

American  

[mees-tek] / ˈmis tɛk /

noun

plural

Mixtecs,

plural

Mixtec

1. a member of an Indigenous people of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Puebla, Mexico.

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

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Mixtec or their language

Mixtec British  

/ ˈmiːstɛk /

noun

1. a member of an American Indian people of Mexico

2. the language of this people

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Other Word Forms

• Mixtecan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Mixtec

First recorded in 1840–50; from Mexican Spanish mixteco, from Nahuatl mixtēcah, plural of mixtēcatl “person from Mixtlān ” ( mix ( tli ) “cloud” + -tlān locative suffix, -tēcatl suffix of personal nouns)

Example Sentences

Her eye for cinema is evident in the brash photos she took in 1992 of the annual sacrifice of hundreds of goats that takes place in the Mixtec Mountains of Oaxaca.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Her nomination comes four years after Yalitza Aparicio, who is of indigenous Mixtec descent, was nominated in the same category for her role in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 film “Roma.”

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2024

His mother tongue wasn't Spanish, but a Mixtec indigenous language spoken in parts of Mexico and Central America.

From Reuters • Apr. 27, 2023

This portrait was painted in 1812 by an unknown Mixtec Indian artist.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Many residents say it is rooted in the Zapo- tec and Mixtec indigenous cultures.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario