Otomi is an extinct, unclassified Mesoamerican language formerly spoken in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.
[4] The use of the Otomi language was described in a relación geográfica made in 1579 by Francisco de Agüero, alcalde mayor of the province of Amula.
[5] The relación also mentions an Otomi name, Ercape, said to mean "a flea that itches greatly".
[6] The language is also mentioned, though not named, by Antonio de Ciudad Real, who visited Tuxcacuesco and Zapotitlán with Alonso Ponce in 1587.
[8] Nahuatl had become a lingua franca in the pre-Columbian era, being used as the administrative language of the Aztec Empire and as a trade language beyond the empire's borders, and was subsequently also promoted by the Spaniards after the Spanish conquest.