1.
Haboob: A really intense dust storm. Ha, boob.
2.
Arroyo: Dry river bed that can probably suck you up like quicksand.
3.
Adobe: Mud brick used to build houses, but most likely it will make you think of Photoshop instead.
4.
Snowbird: Elderly person who moves to the Southwest because it is the only place you can wear shorts year round.
5.
Corrido: A folk ballad written to oppose injustice but is also a poetic form. Everyone should try to write one at least once.
6.
Chiltepin: A pepper found mostly in the Southwest that is so hot it maaaaay melt your face off.
7.
Pozole: A pork broth soup with hominy that will start you on the path to food addiction.
8.
Gringo: A white person from an English-speaking country who usually doesn't speak Spanish well and doesn't realize people are talking about them.
9.
Mesa: An isolated flat-top hill with steep sides. This word is easily misunderstood because it also means table.
10.
Prickly Pear: A cactus fruit that you can eat right off the cactus as long as you cut off all the prickly thorns.
11.
Butte: An isolated hill similar to a mesa but narrower. Nature enthusiasts love to climb buttes.
12.
Monsoon: A rainstorm that comes every May- September. It is best to run in the opposite direction whenever it comes.
13.
Hatch Chile: A chile that grows in New Mexico and is used to make the famous New Mexico chile. It will turn your mouth into fire.
14.
Norteño: A style of folk music that is popular in Northern Mexico. The jams are known to be highly infectious and catchy.
15.
Fry bread: Traditional Native American deep-fried dough, that can be sweet or served as a taco. A fry bread a day can keep the doctor away.
16.
Rio: A river. Water to people in the Southwest is a foreign thing.
17.
Menudo: A soup made of beef stomach (tripe) and hominy. Not to be mistaken with the boy band.
18.
Hoodoo: A column or pinnacle of weathered rock. You could create your own game by throwing hula hoops on the hoodoo.
