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cueva – cave; see also caverna

culebra – snake; see also serpiente

Dios – God

directo – direct; refers to long-distance bus with few stops

edificio – building

estación – station, eg ranger station or bus station; also means ‘season’

farmacia – pharmacy

fauna silvestre – wildlife

fiesta – party or festival

finca – farm or plantation

floresta – forest

frontera – border

fútbol – soccer (football)

gallo pinto – stir-fry of rice and beans

garza – cattle egret

gasolina – gas (petrol)

gracias – thanks

gringo/a (m/f) – US or European visitor; can be affectionate or insulting, depending on the tone used

guaro – local firewater made from sugarcane

hacienda – rural estate

hielo – ice

ICT – Instituto Costarricense de Turismo; Costa Rica Tourism Board, which provides tourist information

iglesia – church

indígena – indigenous

Interamericana – Pan-American Hwy; the nearly continuous highway running from Alaska to Chile (it breaks at the Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia)

invierno – winter; the rainy season in Costa Rica

isla – island

jardín – garden

josefino/a (m/f) – resident of San José

lago – lake

lavandería – laundry facility, usually offering dry-cleaning services

librería – bookstore

llanura – tropical plain

machismo – an exaggerated sense of masculine pride

macho – literally ‘male’; figuratively also ‘masculine,’ ‘tough.’ In Costa Rica macho/a (m/f) also means ‘blonde.’

macrobiótica – health-food store

maría – local name for taxi meter

mercado – market

mercado central – central town market

Meseta Central – Central Valley or central plateau

mestizo/a (m/f) – person of mixed descent, usually Spanish and indigenous

metate – flat stone platform, used by Costa Rica’s pre-Columbian populations to grind corn

migración – immigration

Minae – Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía; Ministry of Environment and Energy, in charge of the national park system

mirador – lookout point

mole – rich chocolate sauce

mono – monkey

mono tití – squirrel monkey

motocicleta – motorcycle

muelle – dock

museo – museum

niño – child

normal – refers to long-distance bus with many stops

obeah – sorcery rituals of African origin

ola(s) – wave(s)

OTS – Organization for Tropical Studies

pájaro – bird

palapa – shelter with a thatched, palm-leaf roof and open sides

palenque – indigenous settlement

panadería – bakery

páramo – habitat characterized by highland shrub and tussock grass

parque – park

parque central – central town square or plaza

parque nacional – national park

pastelería – pastry shop

perezoso – sloth

perico – mealy parrot

playa – beach

posada – country-style inn or guesthouse

puente – bridge

puerto – port

pulpería – corner grocery store

punta – point

pura vida – super; literally ‘pure life’

quebrada – stream

queso – cheese

rana – frog or toad

rancho – small house or house-like building

refugio nacional de vida silvestre – national wildlife refuge

río – river

sabanero – cowboy from Guanacaste

selva – jungle

Semana Santa – the Christian Holy Week that precedes Easter

sendero – trail or path

serpiente – snake; see also culebra

Sinac – Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservación; National System of Conservation Areas

soda – informal lunch counter or inexpensive eatery

supermercado – supermarket

telenovela – Spanish-language soap opera

Tico/a (m/f) – Costa Rican; see also Costarricense

tienda – store

tiquismos – typical Costa Rican expressions or slang

tortuga – turtle

valle – valley

verano – summer; the dry season in Costa Rica

vino – wine

volcán – volcano

zoológico – zoo

Return to beginning of chapter

The Authors

* * *

MATTHEW D FIRESTONE

CAROLINA A MIRANDA

CÉSAR G SORIANO

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

* * *

MATTHEW D FIRESTONE

Coordinating Author, Central Pacific Coast, Southern Costa Rica, Península de Osa & Golfo Dulce

Matthew is a trained anthropologist and epidemiologist, though he postponed his academic career to spend his youth living out of a backpack. To date he has authored