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Where did the term ‘huachicolero’ originate?

"Huachicol" may refer to a pole with a basket at its end made to pick fruit, according to the DEM

The College of Mexico establishes that the term “huachicolero” refers to a person that picks fruit from trees using a tool called “huachicol" - Photo: File photo/EL UNIVERSAL
11/01/2019 |19:44Newsroom |
Redacción El Universal
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The origins of the Mexican word “huachicol” are associated with “güacho,” which in turn derives from the Mayan word “waach.”

According to the Mexican Academy of Language (AML) , this word means “thief.”

Over time, however, the suffix “-ero” was added to the noun, resulting in the modern term " huachicolero ," used in Mexico to designate people who adulterate alcohol to increase profit.

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Huachicol ” or “ guachicol ” has two common definitions: First is an adulterated alcoholic beverage , mostly made out of sugar cane. This term is included in a text called “ Términos de tequila ,” from the Mexican magazine “Artes de México.”

The second refers to a sort of pole with a basket at its end which is used to pick fruit, according to the Mexican Spanish Dictionary (DEM) , published by the College of Mexico (COLMEX) .

On their electronic version, the College of Mexico establishes that the term “ huachicolero ” refers to a person that picks fruit from trees using a tool called “ huachicol .” Yet another definition refers to criminals who steal gasoline by piercing pipelines.

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