The
Zapotecs (
Zoogocho Zapotec:
Didxažoŋ) are an
indigenous people of Mexico. The population is concentrated in the southern
state of
Oaxaca, but Zapotec communities exist in neighboring states, as well. The present-day population is estimated at approximately 800,000 to 1,000,000 persons, many of whom are monolingual in one of the native
Zapotec languages and
dialects. In
pre-Columbian times, the
Zapotec civilization was one of the highly developed cultures of
Mesoamerica, which, among other things, included a system of writing. Many people of Zapotec ancestry have emigrated to the United States over several decades, and they maintain their own social organizations in the
Los Angeles and
Central Valley areas of
California.