coyote
a person who helps smuggle migrants from Mexico to the United States
homegrown
a term used for people born and raised in Mexico
to verse
frequently used in the novel when Makina exits a place. The translator notes that she has chosen this verb to preserve the original poetic sense of the invented word ‘jarchar,’ which stems from ‘jarcha,’ which is a verse that ends a longer poem.
pulque
a traditional alcoholic drink made of fermented agave sap
The Big Chilango
Mexico City
amaranth
a kind of grain
huapango
a Mexican folk dance and music style
jaranera
merrymaker
chucho
a slang word for 'dog'
anglo
a term signifying America or an American
switchboard
a device used to connect telephone calls
