GLOSSARY

Niños Manuelitos: Niño=Child; Manuelito=Little Emanuel, referrimg to Baby Jesus. *Manuelitos is the Spanish plural word. In this story the term is used to refer to all innocent rainforest children at Christmas time.
"Aserrín, aserrán..." = This quotation is from nine initial verses of a famous and widely popular South American poem written by Jose Asuncion Silva (1865-1896). Born in Bogota, Colombia, he is considered to have been the last of the Romantic Era South American poets. His literary production was scanty but of a high lyrical value for its intimate character, authenticity and immaculate careful composition.
changuito = Chango=child; term used with this meaning mainly in Bolivia and Northern Argentina. Changuito is the the Spanish diminutive of chango. This connotation of the word chango is not to be confused with the Mexican versionwhere it means "monkey" or 'ape".
achakus = field mouse; regional name in Aymara native dialect.
chai = type of opposum; one of two marsupials native to the upper rainforest. Another species called "sariguaya", nowadays extinct, looked like a little kangaroo.
pacaya = Tree with a special type of fruit looking like giant pea pods. The shell pf its fruit is black-purple, its inside contains a cottony sweet pulp. Its seed is large, resilient, black and oblong.
uchis = regional bird similar to a crow but with yellow and black feathers. Its onomatopoeic name describes the sound these birds emit. Many terms used by Bolivian natives to name animals and actions are onomatopoeic words.
jutíuw-jutíuw = A regional bird of grey brown feathers not particularly attractive but a bird that is much appreciated. When natives see one of these birds, they believe the sight is a notice of an impending event or visit to follow. Its name is onomatopoeic of the sound this type of birds characteristically emit.
Tio = Uncle in Spanish.
Ekeko = Bolivian folklore native deity of Bounty and Abundance. He is symbolized as a chubby little midget dressed in native garb and carrying a big sack full of toys and gifts. He is mainly celebrated during the Fiesta de las Alasitas every month of January. Ekekos are also used by some of the Bolivians as fetishes and amulets. Some other ones also keep Ekeko statues in private altars or privileged sites in their homes.
altiplano = The Andean flat highlands mainly located around the Titikaka lake in Bolivia and Peru.
Tres Marías = The road crossing named "El cruce de las Tres Marias" is a real place on the road to South Yungas.
Velo de la Novia = The road crossing named "El cruce de las Tres Marias" is a real place on the road to South Yungas.
stucco man = Stucco man refers to the statue of Christ lifted on a litter and paraded in religious celebrations; this term was first used in this book in the our story of Tantaguaguas
Churuhuasca = Churuhuasca is the name of the fictional town where most of these stories develop. Churu=shell of a snail in the Aymara dialect; huasca=gigantic, refuge. The term Churuhuasca would freely translate to the "refuge of the Snail".
abrazos = embrace; a Bolivian tradition when people meet or get together specially in re-encounters.
Santa Rita del Pueblo = Santa Rita del Pueblo in our book is a fictional character representing one of the living great-grandmothers of the main character of our stories.
Epiphany = Traditionally, in the old days, prior to the pervasive popularization of Santa Claus and Christmas commercialization , Bolivian children would get their gifts not on Christmas Day but on January 6, Day of the Epiphany when the Christian churches celebrate the arrival of the Three Magi Kings coming to adore the GodChild. Bolivian kids would not get their gifts left around the Christmas tree by Santa Claus. They would get their gifts from the passing Travelling Three Kings who would deposit the presents in the children's little shoes left that night out in the balconies, windowsills or frontdoors. When the gift was too big for the shoes, they would leave a little note about the place where they had been hidden.
Aunt Eulalia Francisca = Aunt Eulalia Francisca is a fictional character in our book. A mean hypocritical old spinster who otherwise behaves as a religious, most pious woman. Character based upon the famous "beatas", women usually dressed in black and with the same attributes of tia Eulalia Francisca.
Fierito Isidorito = Fierito Isidorito is one of our child characters. Called Fierito by his smallpox scarred face. Isidoro is the Spanish diminutive of Isador.
ponchecitos = Ponche=punch in Spanish. Ponchesito is the diminutive word for ponche. At Christmas time in Bolivia, a traditional eggnog-like punch is concocted using hot milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and the required pisco, a local fiery type of clear brandy.
coctelitos yungueños = Yungas traditional Cocktail similar to a Daiquiri or a Screwdriver but made with ½ orange juice, 1/2 pisco Singani, (the fiery Bolivian transparent brandy firewater) and sugar to one's taste.
picana = Picana is traditional Bolivian Christmas pot-luck stew made with at least three different types of meat, vegetables, raisins, almonds and wine.
buñuelitos = small dougnut-like pastry.
bombones = Bon bon chocolate delicacies.
Alicante turrones = Turron is a Nougat type of candy usually imported from Spain.
Ipico's chamuña = Chamuna was an inexpensive popular local chewy candy made with sugar, milk and some spices.
cocadas and suspiro = Suspiro is a type of candy made for the celebration of All Saints day. It is somewhat like hardened meringue, soft and spongy; it easily liquefies itself upon contact with saliva. Suspiro also literally means a "sigh" in Spanish.
enquesaditos = pizza like small pieces pf bread baked with abundant cheese topping. Empanaditas are small meat and fruit pies.
tía Pasaku = Tia Pasaku and chola Candelaria are characters appearing in some of our stories. Both are fictionalized portrayals of real people.
madreselvas = Type of rainforest plant with rich foliage.
grandmama-child = The grandmama-child is a fictional character of our stories based on a real character. She is portrayed as woman who became a grandmother at a young age and who was a playful as one of the kids and who always had an open-minded disposition.
Santiago de Compostela = St James, patron saint. His statue in Churuhuasca depicted him as a bearded knight riding a beautiful white stallion.
Pacha, mula = Pacha, mula would freely be translated as "Giddyup, horsey (or, literally in this case, mule), giddyup…"
latigo = Spanish word for leather whip.
Alto Peru = Alto Peru was the original name for most of the territory of present Bolivia before its independence from Spain in 1825. "Alto" literally means high and referred to the mountainous zone of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Paso Peruvian horses are world famous for their elegant gait, a genetically determined attribute.
Macho = Macho=male. Machito is the diminutive Spanish word for macho. In this connotation macho means a real he-man, a tough little dude.
Chojolulo = Chojolulo is the onomatopoeic term used to call a bird well known for its most beautiful singing. This small regional bird is much appreciated by the natives for the quality of its song.
Huerfano = Orphan. Huerfanito is the diminutive Spanish word for little orphan.
beatas = The "beatas" are small town women usually dressed in black and with some of the attributes of tia Eulalia Francisca, acting as most religious and pious ladies attending church very often and babbling prayers very often..
"Niño Manuelito, caga buñuelito..." = Following are the lyrics of a traditional jocose rainforest Christmas carol. A free translation would be something like this: "Baby Jesus, Nino Manuelito, little bunuelo maker. This dear little boy every year is born, every year returns, every year arrives. Baby Jesus, Nino Manuelito, little doughnuts placed in his little diaper blankets. Singing and playing, jumping and jumping on the green grass. Singing and singing, dreaming and dreaming."
chijipampa = Grasslands in the Aymara dialect.
Huiskiki, huiskiki = Jumping and jumping in the Aymará dialect.