WHAT IS THE MEANING OF QUERÉTARO? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The meaning of Querétaro has had variations and different versions. One version attributes the origin of the word to the Purepecha "Crettaro" which means "place of large stones" or "place of rocks and boulders". Another, the pre-Hispanic term in Otomí Nda Maxei which means "the great ball game."

Querétaro is a Mexican state located in the north-central region of the country that was inhabited in 1446 by indigenous Otomi, Pames, Chichimecas and Tarascos.

Its capital is Santiago de Querétaro, it has a territorial extension of 11,684 km² and its population (according to the last population census 2010) is estimated at 1,827,937 inhabitants.

Toponymy of the word Querétaro

During the pre-Hispanic period, the inhabitants of the territory of the current state of Querétaro were the Purépecha or Tarascan Indians, the Otomi and to a lesser extent the Chichimecas.

Each civilization named its territory according to the characteristics that they considered defined it.

This justifies the different meanings that are handled regarding the origin of the word Querétaro, in reference to the Mexican state.

The most probable origin of the word Querétaro comes from the Purepecha "Crettaro"

In the P'horé or Purépecha language, Crettaro means “place of large stones” or “place of rocks and rocks”.

The name originally given to the state was Queréndaro and as a result of the Spanishization it evolved to Querétaro.

It is believed that the name of Querétaro was attributed to it due to the characteristic rocks in the territory, among which stands out what is now known as “El Peñón de Bernal”.

This rock is the third largest in the world after the Rock of Gibraltar (Mediterranean) and Pan de Azúcar (Brazil).

Querétaro in Otomí

In the year 1531 the territory of the current state of Querétaro was occupied mostly by Otomi.

This original and genuine civilization of America was characterized by the domestication of corn, the Mesoamerican calendar, and the ball game.

In the Otomí language, Querétaro is identified with the word Nda Maxei, which means “the great ball game” or “place of the great ball game”.

Upon the arrival of the Otomi, the place was identified by the practice of the ball game as a ritual-sport, hence the name that was given to it.

The defenders of this etymology point out that it is the exact one, since it was extracted from the dictionary of Fr. Fray Maturino Gilberti written in 1559, 38 years after the conquest.

Meaning of Querétaro in Nahuatl

Another meaning of Querétaro corresponds to the Chichimeca word "chichimecalco", which means place of the Chichimecas.

Large town or populated place

The author Vicente Riva P. defines it as a “big town” or “populated place” in reference to the fact that the term is made up of queri (great), ireta (gathering of many who live together) and aro (place).

The most beautiful word in the Spanish language

On June 18, 2011, the word Querétaro was chosen as the most beautiful word in the language as part of the celebration of E Day (Spanish Day).

E Day or Spanish Day is an initiative of the Cervantes Institute that emerged in 2009 in honor of the writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

In the native language, Querétaro means “island of the blue salamanders”.

In view of this meaning, the word was proposed by actor Gael García Bernal, being the winner thanks to the favorable vote of 5,849 of the 33,000 Internet users who participated in the election, from more than 146 cities around the world.

References

1. Martínez, P. (sf). Pre-Hispanic Ball Game: Characteristics of the Game of Gods. Retrieved on November 8, 2017 from: efdeportes.com.
2. Vasquez A. (2014). The Indigenous Peoples of the state of Querétaro. At: ebrary.com.
3. "Querétaro", the most beautiful word in Spanish. (June 18, 2011). In: elperiodico.com.
4. Queretaro. Nomenclature. (sf). Retrieved on November 8, 2017 from: siglo.inafed.gob.mx.
5. Queretaro. (October 30, 2017). In: es.wikipedia.org.