Tepeyac
/ˌtepeˈjak/noun
A hill in northern Mexico City, sacred in Indigenous and Catholic tradition, especially as the site associated with the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Did you know?Tepeyac comes from Nahuatl and is tied to a pre-Hispanic sacred hill; after the Spanish conquest, it became one of the most powerful pilgrimage sites in the Americas.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nah
tepetl + yacatl
“"hill, mountain" + "nose, point, summit"”
Pre-Columbian period
Nah
Tepeyacac
“the pointed/nosed hill or hill’s nose; a place name for the sacred hill”
16th Century
Nah/Spanish
Tepeyac
“Spanish-adapted form of the Nahuatl place name”
Colonial Mexico
Spanish
Tepeyac
“the hill and shrine site associated with Guadalupe devotion”
Modern English
English
Tepeyac
“the Mexican hill and pilgrimage site in Mexico City”
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