Return to Chilangolandia: Mexico City Slang Guide, Part 2

Social Class/Political Identities

Mexico City’s deeply divided, class-stratified society expresses its social complexity through popular language. From ninis to nacos, fifís to fresas, everyone in town — rich, poor, and everything in between — is codified. Keep in mind that I don’t necessarily recommend using these phrases, as some may be considered insulting, classist, or even ethnically charged. Instead, keep your ears pricked when you hear them — I hope knowing these words gives you a deeper understanding of the cultural context in modern Mexico City.

Fresa

Fresa has long been the classic Mexico City slang term for the elite, carrying a connotation of “spoiled rich kid” or snobbish. Although the word literally means strawberry, call someone a fresa in Mexico and people will instantly understand what you mean. Get a hilarious glimpse of fresa culture with the Netflix show “La Casa de las Flores” (“The House of the Flowers”). Set in the tony Mexico City neighborhood of Lomas de Chapultepec, you’ll hear exaggerated fresa accents and enjoy watching the decidedly First World Problems of the city’s elite.

Fifí

While closely associated with fresas, the word fifí has a much stronger political charge. It’s existed for years, but 2018-2024 President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) popularized it during his campaign. He often refers to his opponents as fifís: members of the socially conservative middle/upper class. AMLO will portray the typical fifí as wealthy and out of touch, whether they’re protesting his policies or critical members of the press. Because of this, the term has become heavily politicized.

Chairo

Chairo, also a political phrase, is a bit like the leftist version of fifí. It’s used frequently by people on the right and center, to refer to those on the left. It describes middle class kids who became “radical,” whether that means activists, hippies, or left-leaning more generally. While they consider themselves as part of the masses, they came from a more privileged background. This leads, according to their detractors, to an inherent hypocrisy. Some may also refer to derechairos, a right-wing equivalent.

Naco/Ñero

In my experience, every culture has some classist terms for those of lower socioeconomic status. However, in the U.S., it might be “hillbilly,” “white trash,” or “ghetto” — emotionally charged words that often carry racial or regional associations. In Mexico City slang, the most common pejorative I hear is naco, along with its less-used counterpart ñero. While it’s impossible to directly translate slang into English, these seem to correspond closely to “trashy” in English. Naco and ñero will often be used to pass judgement on particular clothing styles or modes of behavior — especially those employed in low-income neighborhoods of Mexico City and Estado de México. These terms are both adjectives and nouns. Folks might call someone a naco, or call a certain trend, attitude or look naco.

Buchón

You could think of buchón as naco’s Northern Mexican counterpart. While it carries a similarly negative “low class” connotation, buchón refers to the narco/cowboy subculture in Northern Mexico. While a buchón may or may not be involved in organized crime, you’re likely to see them in “Wild West” norteño fashion. This could include cowboy hats, curved Sinaloense style boots, belt buckles and other flashy accessories. Central Mexicans often make fun of the buchón look, and its female equivalent buchona, which would stereotypically involve heavy plastic surgery, lots of makeup, and a tight “cowgirl” style.

Nini

This odd term is a shortened version of ni trabaja, ni estudia: “neither works nor studies.” People throw it around as a slightly insulting, yet jokey phrase for twenty or thirty-somethings who haven’t gotten around to accomplishing much. They might still live with their parents and/or depend on them for money. I rarely hear chilangos refer to a specific person as a nini. More commonly, people refer to the group in general, as in “oh, those lazy ninis.”

Chavorruco

A chavorruco, quite literally an “old young person” or “young old person,” is sort of a washed-up club kid in Mexico City slang. They’re now in their thirties or even forties, but continue to party like they’re a college student. This word always makes me laugh, as it has a light, fun connotation. People might jokingly refer to a friend, or even themselves, as “such a chavorruco.”

Mirrey

Speaking of terms with a negative, “lazy” association, mirrey combines the high-income status of fresas with the “do nothing” attitude of a nini. The term refers to spoiled “daddy’s boys,” the privileged teen or adult children of wealthy parents. To get a good sense of this, check out Amazon Prime’s film “Mirreyes contra Godinez,” a comedic take on class distinctions and nepotism in the Mexico City workplace. As you may remember from Part 1 of my slang guide, godinez are middle class office workers.

Güero

Here’s a term that features some of the class, racial, and appearance-based language throughout this section: güero. If you’re a light-skinned or light-haired person in Mexico, you’ve likely heard this word plenty. Güero literally means “whitey,” but as a term of endearment or nickname, similar to how Mexicans might affectionately call their friends flaca (skinny), gordo (fatty), or pequeña (little one). Street sellers, though, will call you güero/güera no matter your appearance. Some theorize this is because historically, light skin often meant higher social status, so calling someone güero could be a way to flatter them.

Mexico City Slang Coming from Indigenous Languages

Mexican Spanish owes an enormous debt to indigenous languages. While Mayan, Mixteco, Zapoteco, and many other languages have influenced Spanish around the country, due to Mexico City’s history as the Mexica (Aztec) capital of Tenochtitlán, here Nahuatl is strongly present. There are literally entire dictionaries dedicated to Mexican Spanish, but here’s a small sampling of my favorite phrases! They add so much depth, richness, and history to the language. (In Part 3 of the slang guide, I’ll have to add even more of my favorites!)

Tocayo/Tocaya

Whether you’re named Diana, Carlos, or Jessica, chances are soon enough you’ll meet a tocaya or tocayo in Mexico. This word, originating from the Nahuatl word tocaitl, refers to someone with the same name as you. If I run into another Merin here (it’s never happened with the same spelling, but one can dream!), they’d say, “Eyyyy, ¡mi tocaya!” It’s a bit like saying “Hey, we’re twins!” if you have the same outfit or birthday as someone in the English-speaking world.

Cuate

Mexicans often describe their close friends as their cuates, a Nahuatl-derived word. The original word, “mecoatl,” meant twins, and had a second meaning: the near-identical baby agave plants that sprout out from the mother maguey. (That’s the beautiful, spiky succulent plant that produces tequila and mezcal.) Calling your friend a cuate is deeper than just an amigo — it’s a bit closer to something like “blood brother,” though used more casually. Like many words, it’s ultimately un-translatable, after all. Use it with your squad — those you truly consider close.

Tianguis

For centuries before the Spanish arrived in ancient Tenochtitlán, the site of modern Mexico City, many indigenous cultures in Central Mexico participated in temporary markets called tianguis. Merchants would cart their wares — often by canoe through the capital city’s complex, long-disappeared canal system — to the designated spot once a week or so. Setting up petates (woven palm carpets), they’d take out flowers and nopales, snakes and xoloitzcuintles (Prehispanic hairless dogs). Hey, there’s a few extra words for you!

These days, tianguis are still going strong all over the city and region! Many are general marketplaces, which will set up along a street or park to sell grocery items along with prepared food like tacos, birria, and pambazos. However, there are also pacas, which sell new and used clothing and accessories for cheap prices. There are also very unique tianguis dedicated to specific interests, such as the Tianguis del Chopo. Mexico City’s punks, goths, and rockers gather there (right next to the Vasconcelos Library) every Saturday to buy, sell, and trade everything from records to leather jackets.

Papalote

If you’re looking for a kite to fly elsewhere in Latin America, you’ll probably need to ask for a cometa (with regional variation, of course). In Mexico, however, keep your eyes out for a papalote! This lovely nahuatl word means butterfly, but has evolved to refer to their inanimate counterpart, which flutters brilliantly in the wind. Papalote also lends its name to the lovely children’s museum in Mexico City. A great place to visit if you’re traveling with kids!

Popote

When I first went to restaurants in the city with my husband, who’s Peruvian, he was very confused when asking for a straw. When waiters would offer him a popote, he had no idea what they were saying! What he knows as a pajita in most of Latin America — a drinking straw — has a unique Nahuatl origin here in Mexico. The indigenous word popotl literally meant straw, as in the agricultural crop. As a result, it was a quite logical leap to popote, still used frequently all over the country.

Miscellaneous Mexico City Slang Words That Amuse Me

Chin

Pronounced as “cheen,” this word almost always comes with an exclamation point. It’s an expression of surprise that chilangos often exclaim when bad news comes along. “¡Chin! The caterers won’t arrive in time for the wedding.” Or, “¡Chin! The road is flooded ahead, we can’t get through.”

Carnal

Similar to a cuate, your carnal is a close and treasured friend. I included it here because unlike cuate’s indigenous origins, carnal comes from Iberian Spanish. Carne means meat or flesh, so logically, a carnal is like blood of your blood, flesh of your flesh.

Lana

Lana was one of the first Mexico City slang words (also used all over Mexico) I learned while still living in the U.S., and it remains a favorite. Many cultures have their own phrases for cash and money, often revealing the area’s realities and history. The United States has bucks, dough, and even, sometimes, bread. Parts of South America call it plata (silver), reflecting the colonial past of mining. In Mexico, many casually refer to money as lana — literally “wool.” I love the regional flavor of this word, recalling the country’s thriving rural past of ranchos and herders. Another common term for cash is varo.

Inventada

One of my favorite light insults in Mexico City, calling someone inventado or inventada is like rolling together pretentious, overconfident, fake, and a bit of egotism. The adjective often accompanies the phrase “se cree mucho:” they think too much of themselves. I often hear someone described as inventada if they’ve been bragging or are seen as overly narcissistic when it comes to clothes, their appearance, or something related.

To wrap up, I hope this rather unwieldy guide serves you well — or at the very least, gives you a chuckle or two. Let me know if you have recommendations for a Part 3!