abrazo embrace, or hug.
acequia an irrigation ditch.
?Adios! Goodbye!
adobe large bricks made of mud and straw.
Agua Negra Black Water.
?Ah la veca! code, or slang, referring to the penis.
Ah la verga — a reference to the penis.
alamos cottonwood trees, which bloom in late May and early June rather than in late summer.
?Amigo! Friend!
?Andale, hombre, andale! Come on, man, come on!
Arrimense vivos y difuntos / Aqui estamos todos juntos . . . Gather round living and deceased / Here we are all together.
arroyo a gully.
atole cornmeal.
Ave Maria Purisima a religious exclamation referring to the Blessed Virgin Mary; it is sometimes uttered when hoping to ward off evil spirits.
?Ay Dios! Oh God!
?Ay Dios, otro dia! Oh God, another day!
?Ay que diablo! Oh, what a devil!
Benditos sean los dulces nombres. Holy be the sweet names.
big rancheros ranchers with large haciendas.
bizcochito homemade cookies sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.
bosque a cottonwood grove; a wooded area near water.
Buenos dias le de Dios. God grant you good days; a greeting among New Mexican Chicano/as.
bulto a wood carving of a holy person; also, a ghost.
cabritos, cabroncitos kids, small goats.
cabron a pimp, pander, cuckold; someone who takes advantage of the weaknesses of others.
Cabronas putas. Pimped whores.
chapas chaps, as in cowboy chaps.
chicos dried corn, usually cooked with beans.
?Chinga tu madre! Screw your mother!
chingada the screwed one; the reference is to Dona Marina, the Indian girl who served as mistress and translator to the conqueror of Mexico, Hernan Cortes.
comancheros Indian traders.
crudo hung over from drinking alcoholic beverages.
cuentos stories told as part of folklore.
curandera a folk healer.
desgraciado despicable.
diablas putas — . devilish whores — .
?Dios mio! My God!
Donde esta? Where is he?
el policia the police.
el puerto de los Lunas the refuge of the Luna family; a gateway; figuratively, it can mean a “gateway to the moon.”
el Rito the Bito Creek.
empanaditas turnovers, usually of pumpkin, fruit, or meat.
En el nombre del Padre, del Hijo, y el Espiritu Santo In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
entremetido a meddler, or intruder.
?Espiritu de mi alma! Spirit of my soul!
Es una mujer con un diente, que llama a toda la gente. It’s a woman with one tooth, who calls all the people; this is a riddle whose answer is: the church bell.
Es verdad. It’s true.
Esta sola . . . ya no queda gente en el pueblito de Las Pasturas. She is alone, and there are not many people left in the village of Las Pasturas.
farol a lantern.
gabacha a white woman.
?Gracias a Dios que venites! Thank God that you came!
grillos crickets.
Hechicera, bruja sorceress, witch.
?Hijo de la bruja! Son of the witch!
?Hijo de tu chingada — ! Son of your screwed [mother] — !
Hi-jo-lah! code for “hijo de la chingada,” or son of the screwed one; an exclamation.
huevos balls, as in testes.
jodido one who is bad off in some way.
la Grande the elder, used respectfully.
la llorona the weeping woman; a mythical character alleged to have drowned her children, and not having been allowed into heaven, she is destined to search the river for their souls.
?La mujer que no ha pecado es bruja, le juro a Dios! The woman who has not sinned is a witch, I swear to God!
?Las putas! The whores!
la yerba del manso the plant of the lizard tail family; or, perhaps, a plant from Manzano.
llaneros plainsmen; plainspeople.
Llano Estacado the Staked Plains, located in eastern New Mexico and West Texas.
llano plains; in this case, the Staked Plains in eastern New Mexico.
Lo mato, lo mato. He killed him, he killed him.
?Madre de Dios . . . ! Mother of God . . . !; a religious exclamation.
maldecido a cursed person.
maldito wicked, cursed.
manzanilla common chamomile.
?Mira! Look!
?Mira! Que suerte, tunas. Look! What luck, prickly pears.
?Mis hijos! My sons!
mitote gossip; also a rambunctious dance.
molino a mill; in this case, a feed mill.
mollera the membrane-covered separation between bone plates on the top of an infant’s head.
muy sabrosos very tasty.
No esta aqui. He’s not here.
Nuestra casa es su casa. Our home is your home.
osha a wild celery; a medicinal plant.
Padre nuestro que estas en los cielos. Our Father who art in heaven.
Pase . . . pase. Come in . . . come in.
Perdon. Forgive me; I’m sorry.
?Pero que dices, hombre? What are you saying, man?
?Pinche — ! an expletive meaning damned, stingy, vile.
?Por la madre de Dios! For the mother of God!
Por la sangre de Lupito, todos debemos rogar . . . For the blood of Lupito, we all should beg.
posole hominy soup, made with chili, pork, and spicy seasonings.
?Puto! a sodomite; also, a promiscuous man.
?Que pasa aqui? What’s going on here?
?Que pasa? What’s the matter?
?Quien es? Who is it?
Que Dios la saque de pena y la lleve a descansar . . . That God lift her punishment [or pain] and let her rest.
Que lastima. What a pity.
ristras a string of something, usually of chile.
sala a parlor; living room.
sangre blood.
Te doy esta bendicion en el nombre del Padre, del Hijo, y el Espiritu Santo I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
?Te voy a matar, cabron! I’m going to kill you, you jerk!
tejanos Texans.
the campo santo holy burial grounds; a cemetery.
tio an uncle.
Ultima the last one, or the ultimate.
?Un momento! One moment!
vaquero a cowboy.
velorio a wake to honor the dead.
Voy a tirar tripas. I’m going to throw up.
Ya las campanas de la iglesia estan doblando . . . Already the church bells are tolling.
Ya vengo. I’m coming.
yerba de la vivora a snake, or a rattlesnake, weed.
