"Talk Like a Local"

A Big Bend pronunciation guide

As a border area with a unique mixture of two cultures and regional character, many of the place names, and plant and animal species common to the Big Bend are new to many of our visitors. The words listed below are some that you might encounter on a visit to the Big Bend.

WORD	PRONUNCIATION	CONTEXT
Boquillas	bow-key-us	River canyon; also name of Mexican commmunity
Castolon	cast-oh-lon	Historic district on the west side of the park
Chihuahuan	chee-wah-wan	The desert that the Big Bend is a part of
Chisos	chee-sos	Mountain range in the center of the park; location of the Basin
Cholla	choy-yah	Common cactus
Guayacan	way-ah-kahn	Common desert plant
Javelina	ha-vay-lee-nah	Common name for the collared peccary
Lajitas	la-hee-tas	Resort community to the west of the park
Lechuguilla	lech-uh-gee­-ah	Common desert plant
Luna’s Jacal	loon-ahs hah-call	Historic mexican residence along the Old Maverick Road
Mariscal	mar-ees-kal	Mountain in south-central part of the park
Marufo Vega	mah-roof-oh vey-ga	Backcountry hiking trail in the remote Deadhorse Mountains
Mesa de Anguila	may-sah day an-gee-la	Remote area at the western edge of the park
Mesquite	mess-keet	Common desert plant
Ocotillo	oh ko tee yo	Common desert plant
Rosillos	row-see-yos	Mountains in the north-central part of the park
Santa Elena	san-tah a lain ah	River canyon on the west side of the park
Study Butte	stew-ty beaut	Community to the west of the park
Tasajillo	ta-suh-hee­-oh	Common desert plant
Terlingua	ter-ling-wah	community to the west of the park
Terlingua Abajo	ter-ling-wah ah-bah-ho	Former mexican community north of Santa Elena Canyon
Tinaja	tin-ah-hah	Erosion-carved waterhole
Tornillo	tor-nee-yo	Major drainage on the east side of the park