Job Discussion Forums

[MELEE]

I was flipping through my Guia Roji the other day, and I got to thinking about all the neat town names in this country. You got to admit, when it comes to tongue twisting place names, Mexico's got to be one of the best places in the world:

Hostotipaquillo, Jalisco
Xochihuehuetlan, Guerrero
Oxkutzcab, Yucatan

There are also some quirky names out there:

Cajoncitos, Chihuahua
Las Delicias, Chiapas
Chichimejias, Zacatecas

Or maybe you perfer:

Buckingham, Nayarit

My favorite town name is Zitacuaro, in Michoacan, I just love the way it rolls around your mouth when you say it.

How about you?
What's your favorite Mexican town name?

[Guy Courchesne]

I've always liked how Tlalquepaque comes out of the mouth.

Xochimilco DF and Popocatepetl too

[Samantha]

Tzurum�taro, Michoacan

[vieux canaille]

How about Parangaricutirimicuaro? Finally nailed the pronunciation a few weeks ago! A town in Michoacan whose existence is debatable; some say it's the long version of the volcano/town of Paricutin.

[danielita]

My favourite is San Pedro de Huamelula ...I just love saying Huamelula....

Say it with me! Huamelula! Huamelula! Huamelula!

[veroax]

I'm living in a notably hot and steamy region. There's a town nearby called Temascal. Correct me if that doesn't basically mean sweat box....

[notamiss]

A Spanish acquaintance was assigned by his company to do some ISO inspections at a number of Mexican industries. Since his wife was a colleague of my husband's, they stayed with us for a week. He had a hard time wrapping his tongue around the Nahuatl place names. He could only get about halfway through "Cuauhtitlan Izcalli" before it defeated him. Part of his job, however, involved staying there several days to inspect some factories. During a meal at our house the day after his return from C.I., he was reading the origins of the milk box on the table, which was from a plant in C.I. "Cuauh-ti...tlan.....Iz.....ca-lli" he finished with a little grin of pride, and added with satisfaction, "Es que ya me siento de ah�".

[El Gallo]

La Chingada

[FreddyM]

Nezahualc�yotl

[hlamb]

I can't pronounce a lot of the names here. But I do like hearing other people say them. A few times I've ended up in the wrong place on third class buses because people couldn't understand when I said my destination. All part of the adventure, I guess!

[Phil_K]

The cricket writer John Arlott covered this subject in one of his books (with place names in England). His theory was best translated into Spanish as "Nombres duros" and "Nombres suaves".

e.g.

Duro

Iztapalapa
Mixcoac
Tampico

Suave

Patzcuaro
Mixhuica (Mi-SHU-ka)
Huamelula

Interesting theory.

[MELEE]

hlamb,
The key to getting on the right bus is to say the name as fast as you can and find out the complete name and say it all.
At least here in Oaxaca, most places have an indigenous name and either a saint or hero's name attached.
For example I live and work in Huajuapan de Leon. There are also places called Huajupan, Huahuatlan, Huahuepan, Jujuapan, but none of them are de Leon. I always tell new teachers to make sure they say the whole name when buying their bus ticket!

[Samantha]

I think my advice to anyone new to Mexico and unfamiliar with the Spanish language would be to write the destination name, hotel name, street address etc. on a piece of paper and present it to the ticket seller, bus driver, taxi driver etc. (especially if the name contains G's, H's, J's, X's or even I's and U's).

[chola]

Tzintzuntzan, Michoacan

[samizinha]

Tequesquitengo, Morelos. It's a really pretty area with a lake, near Cuernavaca. It took the weekend that I stayed there to learn how to pronounce it.