Where does “Zacatecas” come from?

Zacatecas derives from Nahuatl zacatecah, from Nahuatl zacatl, a term referring to grass or hay.

Ancestry of “Zacatecas”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Nahuatlzacatēcah—
2Nahuatlzacatlgrass
3Uto-Aztecansaka-t—
Every word from Uto-Aztecan saka-t →Every word from Nahuatl zacatl →Every word from Nahuatl zacatēcah →