Verse (“Jarchar”)
Yuri Herrera adapts the medieval term jarcha to form the verb jarchar, which is translated as “verse” in English. A jarcha (commonly spelled kharja in English) was the verse that ended a longer poem—the…
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Pulque
A traditional alcoholic drink made of fermented agave sap, which played an important mythological role in indigenous Mesoamerican religious rituals before the Spanish conquest of what is now Mexico.
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The Big Chilango
Mexico City, Mexico’s capital and by far its largest city. “Chilango” is a slang term for someone or something from Mexico City.
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Coyote
A common term for people who live along the border and help smuggle migrants from Mexico to the United States.
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Amaranth
A grain indigenous to Mexico that was a primary food staple before the Spanish conquest, and remains a common food in the country.
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Homegrown
Translation of paisano (“from the country”), used to refer to Mexicans born and raised in Mexico.
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