pukuj (Tz) Demon. “Because things (all things: those we see and also those we use) don’t belong to us. They have another owner. And the owner punishes when someone takes possession of a place, a tree, even a name. The owner—no one would know how to invoke him if the brujos had not shared their revelations—the pukuj, is a spirit. Invisible, he comes and goes, listening to the desires in mens’ hearts.”—“The Truce” in Rosario Castellanos’ Ciudad Real (1961).

pus (Tz) Sweathouse.

regidor (Tz/Sp) Mid-ranking village official. (In Spanish, alderman.)

síndico (Tz) Village civil official. (In Spanish, trustee.)

tatic (Tz) Affectionate term of respect for older male relatives or elders of the tribe.

tenemastes (Nahuatl) Three stones on which cooking pots rest over a fire.

tzec (Tz) Traditional skirt of Tzotzil women.

Tzotzil (Tz) A Maya language spoken by about half a million people, most of whom live in the central highlands of Chiapas around San Cristóbal. Also, a person who speaks Tzotzil.

winikón (Tz) Lit., “I am a man.” Some Ladinos who affect familiarity with Indian words use it simply to mean “man.”