In Latin American folk medicine, an illness caused by a sudden intense fright that separates the soul from the body. It's treated with traditional rituals and herbal remedies, especially in indigenous communities.

A Mexican word with a thousand uses: 'exactly,' 'the real one,' 'right here,' 'the boss,' or just emphasis. Context is everything — 'el mero mero' means the top dog, 'ya mero' means almost.

A lot, a huge amount of something in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It's the quintessential Central American intensifier that adds punch to any sentence.

A Guatemalan woman, said with pride and affection. It is the colloquial, endearing way to refer to women from Guatemala, especially when you want to highlight their Central American identity with good vibes. The masculine form is "chapín." Guatemalans wear this word as a badge of honor, and calling someone "chapina" is acknowledging their roots in a warm, familiar way.