{"id":6359,"date":"2022-08-28T18:22:23","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T18:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=6359"},"modified":"2022-08-28T18:22:23","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T18:22:23","slug":"chilangos-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/chilangos-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Chilangos \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you talking with an upwardly mobile individual from Mexico City? You could say you're talking with a 'Chilang<\/em><\/strong>o.' However, is it safe to use this word when talking to Mexican people? Or is it racist?<\/p>\n

This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The meaning of 'Chilango<\/em>' (t\u0361\u0283i\u02c8la\u014b\u0261o) is a Mexican slang term and a demonym for the residents of Mexico City. The Mexican Academy of Language and Royal Spanish Academy state the official meaning of the word to translate as \"belonging to Mexico City<\/em>.\"<\/p>\n

A Chilango is<\/em> a native and resident of Mexico City, the country's capital. Many Mexicans based outside the capital use the term as a derogatory slur towards people living in Mexico City. These individuals see the Chilangos<\/em> as snobbish and upper-class, disconnected from the rest of the Mexican culture and people.<\/p>\n

Many Chilangos<\/em> have European influence in their behavior, language, and fashion style. They are big-city types that feel they have moral superiority over other Mexican people from smaller cities around the country. The phrase can also relate to people that hail from the Chilango area.<\/u><\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cChilangos think they are a better class of people than everyone else. Just because they live in the big city doesn\u2019t mean they're better than those of us that live in smaller towns.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at these big city types flooding or small town. I can\u2019t stand this time of year. The Chilangos create traffic problems, and people are always on the street.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might be a Chilango in Mexico City, but in LA, you\u2019re just another joe blow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \u2018Chilangos\u2019 has unknown origins. Language experts are unsure when the term arrived in the English language. However, some believe it arrived in the United States with the influx of immigration from Mexico starting in the 1980s, with the advent of the \u2018Tequila Crisis.\u2019<\/p>\n

Economic migrants would leave Mexico for America to start a new life. These immigrants brought Mexican culture and language into the US, and it\u2019s particularly popular in communities in the southwestern states and California.<\/p>\n