vato
Barrio street guy
Vato is Mexican Spanish slang for guy or dude, used especially among Chicano and Latino men in the American Southwest.
It signals in-group familiarity and solidarity: What's up, vato?
The term can be neutral or affectionate among friends, but carries street associations—often linked to gang culture or working-class masculinity in media portrayals.
Relating to physical urges
Mexican-American subculture member
Mexican-American with activist heritage
- LatinoLatin American by heritage
- MexicanoMale from that nation
- Mexican-AmericanOf blended border heritage
- AztlánMythic ancestral homeland
cultura · zoot-suiter · Spanglish · code-switching · bilingual
carnal
Relating to physical urges
cholo
Mexican-American subculture member
Chicano
Mexican-American with activist heritage
- LatinoLatin American by heritage
- MexicanoMale from that nation
- Mexican-AmericanOf blended border heritage
Aztlán · cultura · zoot-suiter · Spanglish · code-switching · bilingual
cholo
Mexican-American subculture member
mafia · cartel · gang · soldado · jefe · hitman · enforcer · street · hustle · territory
hombre
Man, in Spanish
rugged · manly · streetwise · hard · respected · fearless · bold · strong · solid · real one
- Chicano CultureCesar Chavez, lowrider, barrio, Chicano murals, La Raza
- Mexican Slangorale, pendejo, sale, oye, carnal