You will notice that there are several of what appear to be spelling mistakes in this text.
You will notice the disappearance of fricatives between vowels and at the end of
syllables, specially 'd', and the disappearance of sibilants at the end of syllables,
especially 's'. You will also notice the switching of 'b' and 'v' which of course, has no
effect on the pronunciation. Sometimes you will see 'o' in place 'ue', 'e' in place of 'ie',
and 'i' in place of 'e'. Once you get used to this it causes no problem in comprehension.
Rowena Rivera has clearly done this on purpose. My personal impression is that this
gives the text a colloquial or dialectical effect. It can also give the text the feel of a
historical document, like for example an arthurian tale in English, although the existence
of airplanes in the text indicates that the story takes place in the relatively recent past.
I note hereafter some useful vocabulary. Although I have written it in the order that it
appears in the story, I strongly suggest that you do not follow through the vocabulary as
you read. Rather, I suggest that you read the vocabulary straight through, either before
or after you read the text, or both.
mentar=mencionar, mentado=mencionado
requetebueno=buenísimo, "very, very good"
santero="a carver of religious sculptures"
embustero="deceiver"
farsante="fraud"
fanfarrón="braggart"
mentecato="fool"
jorobado="hunched"
bizco="cross-eyed"
dizque="apparently"
sepultar="bury", note that in the text 'sepultado' is written 'sepultao'
velorio="wake (for the dead)"
entrañable="close", "intimate"
persinar=persignar, "pray"
asomarse="lean out"
vela="candles"
fideo="noodle"
socarronamente="sarcastically"
carcajada="guffaw"
quién sabe qué bicho le picó="who knows what bug bit him"
desvalagar=desbalagar, "wander", "go astray", "lose one's way", "rebel"
...mexicanism, not standard Spanish
pésimo="dreadful"
chamacón="lad"
acequia="irrigation channel"
fisgear="snoop around"
estrambólico=estrambótico, "outlandish" ...written later as 'estambolico'
pestaña="eyelash"
añal="completion of a year", "annual ceremony"
estafeta="post office"
fulano="so-and-so"
burrada=tontería, "stupid actions", "group of donkeys"
serruchar leña="cut wood"
brotar="sprout"
pader=pared, "wall" ...colloquialism, not standard Spanish
runrún="hum"
partera="midwife"
sobar="massage", "fondle"
sobadora="a person that heals with touch", "layer-on of hands"
chisme="gossip"
sollozo="sob"
hipo="hiccup"
pañuelo="kerchief"
embobao=embobado, "fascinated"
cabello rizao=cabello rizado, "curly hair"
restarón=restaurante ...colloquialism, not standard Spanish
amargar="make bitter", "ruin (someone's day)"
amargar la vida a alguien="to make somebody's life hell"
muncho=mucho ...Old Spanish
chanchuya=chanchulla, "crooked deal"
chueco="crooked"
metido en="engaged in", "involved in"
fijarse="notice"
diresión=dirección
sías=sillas
sembrar="sow (seeds)"
vereda="path"
relumbrante="shining"
zapeta=sapeta, "a skirt-like garment worn by men of the Tarahumara
Indian tribe in Mexico" ...also used to mean "diaper"
maniyita=locurita, mania, "quirk", "obsession", "dislike", "wacky idea"
empeorar="get worse", "worsen"
palo="stick"
chiflao=chiflado, "kooky", "nuts"
pañal="diaper"
bordón="staff", "walking stick". "deepest string of an instrument"
cohete="rocket"
Enjoy!
--Kichiji.