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Authors

Lou Savelli

Sgt. Lou Savelli is the co-founder and vice president of the East Coast Gang Investigator's Association, a 23-year NYPD veteran, a former correctional officer with the Broward County (Fla.) Sheriff's and Hollywood (Fla.) PD.

Richard Valdemar

Sgt. Richard Valdemar retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after spending most of his 33 years on the job combating gangs.

A Nahuatl Dictionary

View this primer on the ancient Aztec code language now used by Latino gang members.

January 18, 2011 | by Richard Valdemar - Also by this author

In California prisons both the Mexican Mafia and the rival Nuestra Familia use Aztec mythology to recruit and train soldiers for their wars. As a part of this tactic, Mexicans and Mexican Americans who can barely say taco are being taught dialects of the ancient Aztec language Nahuatl.

I have added a few more words to a captured Nahuatl dictionary, intercepted by staff in New Folsom in September 2000. The last line of the captured prison message read, "IN OTIN IHUANA IN TONALI NICAN TZONQUIA ILHUI..." or "Here ends the road and days..."

NAHUATL DICTIONARY:

NAHUATL/ENGLISH

ACHAUTLI/Boss

AHUILNEMA/Sex or Intercourse

ATLATL/Skinning Knife

CAHUAYO/Horse or Heroin

CALLI/House or Cell

CAPULLI/School

CHICHLTIC/Red

CHIMALI/Shield

CIHUA/Woman

CIUATLI/Lady

COYOTS/Coyote or Wolf

CUILONYOTL/Punk

EXTLI/Blood

HAULLA/Come

ILHUI/Days

ITZTOLI/Metal or Shank

IXPOL/Northerners

IXTLI/Eye

KAN/South or Sur

KANPOL/Southerner

MA/No

MACA/Give

MACUAHITL/War Club

MALINALI/Marijuana

MATI/Know

MAUHTIA/Scared

MEXICATL/Mexican

MICA/Brother

MIEC/A lot or Much

MINA/Arrow

MIQUI/Dead or Die

MIXCHIA/Wait

MIXPATZINCO/Salutations

MOCHI/Everything

MOCHIPA/Always

MOMO/Your hand

MOZTLA/Tomorrow

N'DETATDE/Tattoo

NANTLI/Mother

OCELOTL/Tiger

OCTLI/Wine or Pruno

PACQUI/Happy

PICIETL/Tobacco

PILI POL/Small person

PILLI/Senor

PITZOME/Pig or Cop

POCHTECATL/Trader

QUA/Eat

QUALANQUI/Angry at everyone

QUAUTLI/Eagle

QUIMICHIMI/ Spy

TECHICHI/Dog

TECPATL/Big knife

TECONI/Speak

TEZCATL/Mirror

TI/You

TLA/Yes

TLILLIPOL/Blacks

TONALI/Destiny

TONATI/Sun

TOPILE/Law or Cops

TUCA/Rat or Snitch

TUIA/Soldier

VEI/Big

VEL/Good or OK

YACATL/Point

YAOTL/Enemy

YUALLI/Night

Related Blog Post:

Do You Speak Nahuatl?

Tags: Hispanic Gangs, Mexican Mafia, Prison Gangs, Gang Intelligence

Comments (5)

Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
OCELOTL @ 8/28/2011 10:39 PM SOME OF YOUR WORDS IN NAHUATL ARE WRONG DOUBLE CHECK. ONE OF THEM IS MY NAME OCELOTL. JAGUAR GET IT RIGHT
MEXICATL @ 9/17/2011 3:15 PM TLA = IF QUEMAH = YES
PILI @ 2/19/2012 12:24 AM TLAZOCAMATI ,RA CHE NE POPOYACA NOPAL POL TI PI !!! NENEUCA!!! PILI1!!
Lesa Stefan @ 8/30/2012 11:18 AM There's a lot of mistakes: Ma is no in Quiche Mayan. Pilli can mean son or young man; big is huey; cualli means good, nice, etc, so cence cualli is very good; yayotlin Nahuatl is holcani in Mayan, meaning warrior; cua is the verb to eat. Coyotl is coyote; plural coyotzineh. Who translated this? Please be aware that, although there may be subversive use of this language, many Mexicans are learning the language of the Aztec Empire to return to their roots. Spanish came with Cortez; it's their 2nd language. Nextic Coyotzineh
Eli @ 9/21/2012 4:51 AM This is prison shit it's mixed so they can talk in code that's why some words mean different things but to them oly they know what Aztec slang there talking about

Displaying 1 - 5 of 5

OCELOTL @ 8/28/2011 10:39 PM

SOME OF YOUR WORDS IN NAHUATL ARE WRONG DOUBLE CHECK. ONE OF THEM IS MY NAME OCELOTL. JAGUAR GET IT RIGHT

MEXICATL @ 9/17/2011 3:15 PM

TLA = IF
QUEMAH = YES

PILI @ 2/19/2012 12:24 AM

TLAZOCAMATI ,RA CHE NE POPOYACA NOPAL POL TI PI !!! NENEUCA!!! PILI1!!

Lesa Stefan @ 8/30/2012 11:18 AM

There's a lot of mistakes: Ma is no in Quiche Mayan. Pilli can mean son or young man; big is huey; cualli means good, nice, etc, so cence cualli is very good; yayotlin Nahuatl is holcani in Mayan, meaning warrior; cua is the verb to eat. Coyotl is coyote; plural coyotzineh. Who translated this? Please be aware that, although there may be subversive use of this language, many Mexicans are learning the language of the Aztec Empire to return to their roots. Spanish came with Cortez; it's their 2nd language.

Nextic Coyotzineh

Eli @ 9/21/2012 4:51 AM

This is prison shit it's mixed so they can talk in code that's why some words mean different things but to them oly they know what Aztec slang there talking about

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