Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
This word ending—thought to be difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce at the time—evolved in Spanish into a "-te" ending (e.g. axolotl = ajolote). As a rule of thumb, a Spanish word for an animal, plant, food or home appliance widely used in Mexico and ending in "-te" is highly likely to have a Nahuatl origin.
Animal figures had always been carved in the central valleys area of Oaxaca by the Zapotecs since the pre-Hispanic period. Totems of local animals were carved for luck or religious purposes as well as hunting decoys. Figures were also carved for children as toys, a tradition that continued well into the 20th century. [19]
Güey (Spanish pronunciation:; also spelled guey, wey or we) is a word in colloquial Mexican Spanish that is commonly used to refer to any person without using their name. . Though typically (and originally) applied only to males, it can also be used for females (although when using slang, women would more commonly refer to another woman as "chava" [young woman] or "vieja" [old lady])
There are old texts written by Spanish conquistadors about the onza, but they might refer to the jaguarundi, which is known as onza in many Mexican states. [2] Onça is the Brazilian Portuguese word for jaguar, Panthera onca, where a spotted jaguar is known as onça-pintada and a melanistic one as onça-preta. These are real animals, occurring ...
Carbuncle (Spanish: carbunclo, carbunco) is a legendary species of small animal in South American folklore, [1] specifically in the mining folklore of northern Chile. [2] The animal is said to contain riches of some sort; in some versions it is a precious stone that gives fortune and good luck to its owner.
The word entered English through Spanish. The quetzal plays a central role in Mesoamerican mythology and is associated with the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl . The word quetzal was originally used for just the resplendent quetzal , the long-tailed quetzal of Guatemala , (more specifically the area of Northern Guatemala known as the Petén) which is ...
In Spanish, it is called javelina, jabalí (a word also used to describe wild boar), sajino, or pecarí. The word javelina derives from the Spanish word for "wild boar". [7] In French Guiana and Suriname, the animal is called pakira. The scientific name Tayassuidae derives from the same source as the Portuguese tajaçu. [8]
The animal is called paca in most of its range, but tepezcuintle (original Aztec language name) in most of Mexico and Central America, tepesquintle in Guatemala, guardatinaja in Nicaragua, pisquinte in northern Costa Rica, jaleb in the Yucatán peninsula, conejo pintado in Panama, guanta in Ecuador, majás or picuro in Peru, jochi pintado in ...