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

Oaxaca is one of the country’s poorest states, with 16% of the population living in extreme poverty, according to government data.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

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

From Slate • Jan. 27, 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

It is known that 11,500 years ago paleo-Indians were hunting from caves in what is now Puebla, the state northwest of Oaxaca.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann