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New Mexico, land of chile (green AND red), alien tourism, and town names that will absolutely tie your tongue in a knot if you’re not from around here. With a spicy mix of Spanish, Indigenous, and “let’s just confuse the outsiders” influences, place names here are part cultural heritage, part verbal booby trap. So before you ask for directions to Las Cruces and say it like it’s French, here’s a guide to help you not sound like you just blew in with the tumbleweeds.
1. Las Cruces (Loss-CROO-sis, not Lahs Crew-says)
It means “The Crosses,” not “The Fancy Salad.”
2. Pojoaque (Puh-WAH-kay, not Poe-jo-ack)
The “j” is not your friend. Neither is the pronunciation if you try to wing it.
3. Tucumcari (TOO-kum-carry, not Tuck-oom-kah-ree)
Sounds like a truck stop—and a test of your out-of-stater status.
4. Jal (Hal, not Jal)
Yes, the “J” is silent. Yes, the locals are silently judging you.
5. Madrid (MAD-rid, not Muh-DRID)
This ain’t Spain. This is artsy-desert-road-trip-town New Mexico.
6. Chama (CHAH-muh, not Shay-muh)
Great for scenic trains and scenic corrections of your pronunciation.
7. Isleta (EES-leh-tah, not Is-let-uh)
It means “little island,” not “verbal disaster.”
8. Tesuque (Tuh-SOO-key, not Teh-suck)
Beautiful adobe homes. Brutal name for outsiders.
9. Cimarron (SIM-uh-ron, not See-muh-rohn)
Say it like a cowboy, not a maître d’.
10. Socorro (Suh-KOR-oh, not Sock-oh-row)
Spanish for “help”—which you’ll need if you say it wrong in front of locals.
11. Zia (ZEE-uh, not Zigh-uh)
Like the symbol on the state flag. Sacred. Not open to interpretation.
12. Nambe (NAHM-bay, not Nam-bee)
Get this one wrong, and even the pottery might throw itself at you.
If you got them all right, órale, you’ve probably eaten enough green chile to sweat vowels and know the difference between adobe and stucco by smell alone. If not, it’s okay—just don’t say “Mad-rid” like you’re booking a flight to Europe, or someone in a turquoise bolo tie might take you aside for a “bless your heart” in two languages. Welcome to New Mexico—where the names are hard, but the chile’s harder.
The post We Know You’re Not From New Mexico If You Mispronounce These 12 Names appeared first on When In Your State.