Mexican state name etymologies

This article provides a collection of the etymologies of the names of the states of Mexico.

Aguascalientes comes from the Spanish "aguas calientes", meaning "hot waters", when the city was first founded in 1575 it was given this name for the abundance of hot springs in the region, which still are exploited for numerous spas and for domestic use.

Baja California means "Lower California" (The Spanish colony of California was divided into two—upper and lower—in 1804. The Mexican territory of Upper California, or Alta California, would in 1848 become the US states of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona and Wyoming.) See also: Origin of the name California.

Campeche takes its name from the city of Campeche, which was founded in 1540 by Spanish Conquistadores as San Francisco de Campeche atop the preexisting Maya city of Canpech or Kimpech.

Chihuahua takes its name from its capital city, Chihuahua. This name is thought to derive from the Nahuatl Xicuahua, or "dry, sandy place".

Coahuila takes its name from the Coahuilteca tribe that inhabited the region until the arrival of the Spanish.

Colima takes its name from its capital city, Colima. The name comes from the Nahuatl Colliman, word with two disputed meanings: "place conquered by our grandparents" and "domain of the God of the Fire". Nevertheless, some people claims that the name is a deformation of the also Nahuatl word Acolman, meaning "where the water bends".

Durango is named after its capital city, Durango, which received its name after the Spanish city of the same name in Vizcaya. During colonial times it was part of the Spanish realm of Nueva Vizcaya, "New Vizcaya", a province of New Spain.

Guanajuato is also named after its capital city, Guanajuato. The name comes from the Puerépecha Quanax Huato, "Froghill".

Guerrero takes its name from Vicente Guerrero, a hero of the Mexican War of Independence and an early president of Mexico.

Hidalgo takes its name from Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, considered the initiator of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810.

México named after the Mexica branch of the Aztecs. The origin of the term "Mexica" is of uncertain origin. Some say it was the old Nahuatl word for the sun. Others say it was derived from the name of their leader Mextli. Yet others say it is just a type of weed that grows in Lake Texcoco. Miguel León-Portilla suggests that it means "navel of the moon" from Nahuatl metztli (moon) and xictli (navel). Alternatively, it could mean navel of the maguey (Nahuatl: metl).

Michoacán receives its name after the Nahuatl word for the Purépechas, "fishermen". Michámacuan which derived into Spanish as Michoacán means fishermen place.

Morelos takes its name from José María Morelos, one of the leaders of Mexico's struggle against Spain during the War of Independence.

Nuevo León takes its name from Kingdom of Leon, one of the historical realms that formed Spain.

Oaxaca takes its name from the Nahuatl term for the Central Valley around the capital, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, "Huaxyácac", which means "place of the guaje trees" (Leucaena leucocephala).

Puebla takes its name from its capital city, Puebla de Zaragoza (former Puebla de los Ángeles, often shortened to Puebla).

Quintana Roo was named using the two last names of Andrés Quintana Roo, a hero from the War of Independence.

San Luis Potosí takes its name from its capital city, originally called San Luis Minas de Potosí, as it was found to be in a rich mineral area, which could be compared to the then famous and incredibly wealthy Potosí, today in Bolivia.

Tlaxcala is either from Nahuatl Tlaxcallan "Place of Maize Corn Bread" or Texcallan "place of stones".

Veracruz takes its name from its largest city, the port of Veracruz, Veracruz. This name was given to the first Spanish city in New Spain by Hernán Cortés in 1519, in the form La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, "The Rich Village of the True Cross".

Yucatán: The (probably apocryphal) story goes that when the Spaniards first waded ashore on the Yucatán Peninsula, they asked the members of the local population, who were watching, "What is this place?" The local indígenas, not understanding Spanish, asked "What did you say?" (Yuca-hatlanás?). The Spanish, in their arrogance, assumed that anyone would understand their language, and took it to be the name. Another legend has it that when Spaniards asked a local native "Where are we?", the native answered "Yuc Atan", meaning "I'm not from here", which Spaniards assumed as the name of the place.

Zacatecas comes from the Nahuatl designation for the inhabitants of the region, relating them to the Zacatl, a tall, strong grass that abounds in semi-arid regions. Thus, Zacatecas means place where there is grass - When the town was built, it was originally called Villa de Nuestra Señora de los Zacatecas.