The Zapotec people referred to themselves as "Benizáa" or "Ben’zaa", meaning “people of the clouds” in their own language—a name inspired by their homeland in the high mountains, cloaked in clouds sent by their rain god, Cocijo, who nourished the earth with life-giving rain. The name “Zapotec,” by which they are now known, comes from the Nahuatl word "Tzapotecatl", meaning “people of the sapote,” a fruit tree abundant in the region. It is unlikely the Zapotec themselves ever used this term.

In ancient Oaxaca, the Zapotecs shared the land with 15 other Indigenous ethnic groups, including the Mixtec, Mixe, Chatino, Chontal, Zoque, Mazatec, Triqui, Chocho, Cuicatec, Chinantec, Huave, Amuzgo, Popoloca, Ixcatec, and, from the 15th century onward, the Nahua. Each group had its own language and inhabited distinct territories.

The Zapotecs lived in the Central Valleys, the northern and southern mountain ranges, and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Archaeologists believe that as early as 1000 BCE, rulers of the trading center of San José Mogote controlled local politics, culture, and economy. By 500 BCE, they founded Monte Albán, expanding their influence across Oaxaca and even reaching distant cities like Teotihuacan. Their power endured until about 850 CE, when it gave way to other rising communities.