Coatepec
/ko.aˈte.pek/noun
A place-name of Nahuatl origin used for several towns and sites in Mexico.
Did you know?In Nahuatl symbolism, serpents could evoke earth, fertility, rain, and divine power; the name is therefore geographic but also richly sacred in cultural context.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
coatl
“Serpent or snake; also a powerful symbolic creature in Nahuatl religion.”
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
tepetl
“Mountain or hill.”
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
coatepec
“A locative compound meaning “at the serpent mountain” or “on serpent hill.””
16th Century
Spanish
Coatepec
“Spanish-recorded form of the Nahuatl place-name after the conquest of Mexico.”
Modern English
English
Coatepec
“A Mexican place-name, especially associated with towns such as Coatepec in Veracruz and Coatepec in the Valley of Mexico.”
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