30 INDIGENOUS WORDS OF MEXICO AND THEIR MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

There are a large number of indigenous words originating from Mexico that currently formally integrate their Spanish language, and in turn some of those same terms are found in the everyday vocabulary of the entire Spanish-speaking world.

From the first contact of the Mesoamerican world with the Spanish conquerors, local words were linked with Castilian, primarily to name the objects of common use of the indigenous people and their authentic and tasty products.

(Chocolate)

These completely universalized words could surprise anyone of their true origin, from Central America to Patagonia, to Spain and even the Philippines. However, some of these terms managed to slip into other Romance languages ​​such as French and Portuguese.

As incredible as it may seem, the linguistic frontier could not prevent these words from making their way to English-speaking cultures, especially the English language, which ended up adopting or adapting some to its regular use.

These words come from indigenous dialects of the Central American zone, mainly from the best-known language, the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs or the ancient Mexica Empire.

This language is still spoken by around a million and a half people in Mexico, especially in regions with traditional native populations.

Curious indigenous words of Mexican origin

1- Āhuacatl

Word that enters and adopts in Spanish in the mid-17th century to name the tropical fruit "avocado" and in English it is adopted in a similar way as "avocado". It also means "testicle tree" or "testicle" because of the shape of the fruit.

2- Āhuacamōlli

Word currently known as "guacamole" which means avocado sauce or cream. It is a dish made of avocado porridge with minced onions, tomatoes, hot pepper and seasoning, typical of the country's cuisine.

3- Cacahuatl

Currently the word has been adopted in Spanish as "cacao" and in English as "cocoa", which are the seeds from which chocolate is made. For the Aztecs, chocolate was more of a drink and was drunk hot and bitter.

4- Xocolatl

It is the word to define the drink of "chocolate", English and Spanish, made of cocoa. It comes from "xococ" which means bitter and from "atl" which means water.

Currently, it is universally called the same to all chocolate-based products, whether in bars, creams or drinks.

5- Coyōtl

This is the Aztec word to name the species of canines that are similar to wild dogs and wolves, but from warmer and arid climates, being adapted as "coyote".

6- Xalapan

They are one of the famous small hot peppers called "jalapeños", especially by lovers of Mexican food.

It comes from xalli which means sand, water alt and place bread, a word that is also the name of a city in Mexico where jalapeno peppers are traditionally produced.

7- Chilli

Word that needs no introduction; also to name the type of traditional hot peppers. It was adopted in Mexican Spanish as "chile" and in English as "chilli" or "chilli pepper".

8- Tomatl

It is the origin of the word "tomato" from Spanish and "tomato" from English. It is a term already universalized due to its multiple uses in international cuisine and gastronomy.

9- Téquitl

Word that by choice has one of the most exquisite and authentic meanings in Mexico for the famous alcoholic drink tequila. It is also the name of a Mexican municipality famous for the production of the aforementioned liquor.

10- Toca-yō-tl

Word adapted in Spanish as "namesake", with which people who have the same name identify themselves.

11- Tzapotl

It is the origin of the word "sapote". It is the name of a tropical tree and of several fruits characteristic of America with various uses in today's cuisine.

They are famous for their sweet taste and vivid yellow or orange color with a velvety texture. They are an excellent source of natural vitamin C.

12- Molcaxitl

Currently it is used locally as "molcajete", which is a kind of traditional Mexican mortar made of stone worked to make it concave.

It is used to process foods that need to be crushed to make mixtures, or sauces such as what is known today as condiments or dressings. This kitchen tool has endured its use in the Aztec culture since pre-Hispanic times.

13- Cuatl

It is the origin of the famous word "cuate", as you can usually hear in Mexican soap operas and series or movies dubbed into Latin Spanish in Mexico.

It is the word frequently used to refer to very close people with whom you have a strong bond, such as friends, compadres, among others.

14- Tzictli

It is the Aztec term for something similar to chewing gum, but it originates from the word sicte in the Mayan languages. Currently it is handled in common language as "gum", which means sticky matter.

It is effectively used to refer to chewing gum and is often used to help with stress, nerves and anxiety.

In its time among the natives of Central America it was not sweet but bitter but useful to control the appetite. The word was adopted in English as the name of a brand of chewing gum marketed by Adams in the late 19th century; "Chiclets".

15- Tlacucahuatl

It is the origin of the Mexican Spanish word “cacahuate”. Better known as "peanuts", it refers specifically to the edible seed of a nut plant which is currently consumed throughout the world. It was used in the pre-Columbian era in the economic area as a currency to trade.

16- Tzitz quit

Word from which the Spanish diminutive “chiquito” originates, which is used daily to express or describe that something is very small or very small, such as objects or people.

17- Xacalli

It is a rustic house or shack made of adobe, straw or other organic materials. Currently the word is used more locally as "jacal", but in English it was adopted to its vocabulary as "shack.

18- Tlālōcēlōtl

It is the word to name the wild cat or «jaguar of the field» that was adopted as “ocelot” in Spanish, according to the literal translation of the word.

It is a medium-sized feline with skin covered in black rings or spots and is commonly found in forests from southern Texas to Argentina.

19- Peyotl

It is a type of small cactus endemic to Mexico. Currently it is called "peyote".

20- Mecatl

Currently known as "rope", it is a word used in parallel with rope or rope.

21- Tecuani

It literally means "the man who eats men" and refers to the jaguar.

22- Tonaltzintli

It was the term for the sun.

23- Comalli

It refers to what is currently known as 'comal', a container for preparing traditional dishes.

24- Metzli

It was the term to refer to the moon or the moon goddess.

25- Huey

It was used to refer to rulers and meant "revered," "great," or "tall."

26-Tecolotl

As the owls or owls were called.

27- Izquitl

It literally meant "corn snack", being the origin of the current 'esquite'.

28- Atl

Term used to refer to water.

29- Tiyānquiztli

It made reference to the market or outdoor market. From this word has derived the current tianguis.

30- Tlapali

Its primary use was to refer to 'color', but over time it resulted in 'color drawing'.

References

1. net Nahuatl Borrowings in Mexican Spanish Vocabulary. Recovered from mexica.net.
2. Judith Herman (2013). 12 words English Got from the Aztecs. Mental Floss. Recovered from mentalfloss.com.
3. Ignacio Cruz (2015). 10 Mexican Words That Come From Nahuatl (the Language of the Aztecs). Xpat Nation. Recovered from xpatnation.com.
4. Roque Planas (2014). 13 Mexican Indigenous Words You Didn't Know You Were Using. Huffpost. Recovered from huffingtonpost.com.
5. Earl and Sylvia Shorris (2005). The Indigenous Literature of the Americas. Words without Borders - Magazine October 2005 issue: Jaguar Tongues. Recovered from wordswithoutborders.orgocelote.
6. Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary. etymologies.dechile.net.