The Modern Yucatan Dictionary

The result of many years of observation and study, the Modern Yucatan Dictionary is a no-holds-barred collection of words you will hear in the Yucatan that are not always taught in your regular Spanish class. Complete with pronunciations, slang and Mayan terms, this is the perfect book to take to the Yucatan! Part of the fun of moving somewhere new is, of course, the language, and the Yucatan is no exception, what with all those old Spanish words no longer used in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world mixed in with Mayan terminology and grammar. The Mayans, you see, were the only indigenous group never fully conquered by those ambitious, gold-digging Conquistadores, and their stubborn resistance is visible even today; in many of Yucatan’s rural communities you will hear Mayan spoken without a trace of Spanish and in all the cities, Mayan terms are used alongside Spanish by all socio-economic classes. The Modern Yucatan Dictionary is the product of continuous listening and annotating by its author. This is the fifth revision of this informative dictionary, featuring an ever-increasing collection of unique, entertaining and occasionally rude terminology unique to the area. Enjoy learning how to speak Yucatecan Spanish like a true Yucatecan!

Ralf Hollmann is a Canadian freelance writer and travel consultant living in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula for over 25 years. One of Merida's first bloggers, Ralf has also written for Yucatan Today and Yucatan Living and is a TripAdvisor Destination Expert on the area.

Ralf's passion for language has led him not only to write, but to create the Mayan Xic line of clothing and souvenirs, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of this peculiar blend of Spanish, with its Mayan and colonial-era influences, spoken in the Yucatan and unique to the Spanish-speaking world.