  We develop a constructive piecewise polynomial approximation theory in
weighted Sobolev spaces with Muckenhoupt weights for any polynomial degree. The
main ingredients to derive optimal error estimates for an averaged Taylor
polynomial are a suitable weighted Poincare inequality, a cancellation property
and a simple induction argument. We also construct a quasi-interpolation
operator, built on local averages over stars, which is well defined for
functions in $L^1$. We derive optimal error estimates for any polynomial degree
on simplicial shape regular meshes. On rectangular meshes, these estimates are
valid under the condition that neighboring elements have comparable size, which
yields optimal anisotropic error estimates over $n$-rectangular domains. The
interpolation theory extends to cases when the error and function regularity
require different weights. We conclude with three applications: nonuniform
elliptic boundary value problems, elliptic problems with singular sources, and
fractional powers of elliptic operators.
