Asphalt, bitumen, or a naturally occurring tar-like substance found in Mexico and the American Southwest.
From Spanish chapapote, derived from Nahuatl chapopotli meaning 'asphalt' or 'tar.' The word entered Spanish during the conquest and colonization of Mexico, where these natural deposits were already known to indigenous peoples.
The Aztecs had a word for asphalt centuries before modern roads existed—they used it for waterproofing and decoration, and the word itself survived the conquest to describe modern highways!
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