City Vocabulary for Mexico City

Photo taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdAeE_7vRSg

This post was requested by my student M.R., who is traveling to Mexico City soon.

Many Spanish students feel comfortable in a classroom, but once they arrive in a big city like Mexico City, the vocabulary suddenly changes. Street signs, directions, and everyday conversations use words that are not always the same in every Spanish-speaking country. Mexico City has its own preferred terms, even when a more general Spanish word also exists.

The goal is very practical: to help you recognize common city fixtures, streets, and urban elements you will see and hear every day. The table shows the term commonly used in Mexico City, the more general Spanish term (used in other countries or understood everywhere), and the English meaning.

City Fixtures and Urban Vocabulary (Mexico City)

Mexico City term	General Spanish term	English meaning
la banqueta	acera	sidewalk
el poste	poste / farola	pole, streetlight pole
el semáforo	semáforo	traffic light
la luz verde	luz verde	green light
la luz roja	luz roja	red light
la luz amarilla / ámbar	luz amarilla	yellow light
el camellón	mediana	median, central divider
la glorieta	rotonda	roundabout
la estación del metro	estación de metro	subway station
la calle	calle	street
cruzar la calle	cruzar la calle	to cross the street
la avenida	avenida	avenue
la calle / avenida de un sentido	sentido único	one-way street
la calle / avenida de doble sentido	doble sentido	two-way street
los cables	cables	wires
los bares	bares	bars
los restaurantes	restaurantes	restaurants
el edificio	edificio	building
la planta baja	planta baja	ground floor (not the 1st floor in Mexico)
el primer piso (MX)	primer piso	first floor (second floor in the US)
la casa	casa	house
la casona / la mansión	casa grande	large old house, mansion
la reja	verja	fence, metal gate, window grate
la tienda	tienda	store
el horario de la tienda	horario comercial	store business hours
la tienda de abarrotes	tienda de comestibles	grocery store, bodega (NYC)
la miscelánea	tienda pequeña	small convenience store, also bodega (NYC)
el parque	parque	park
la fuente	fuente	fountain
el paso peatonal	cruce peatonal	pedestrian crossing
el peatón	peatón	pedestrian
el puente peatonal	puente peatonal	pedestrian bridge
la parada de autobús / camión	parada de bus	bus stop
el camión (MX)	autobús	bus (Mexico; camión also means truck)
la señal de tránsito	señal vial	traffic sign
el banco	banco	bank
el cajero automático	cajero automático / ATM	ATM
el estacionamiento	aparcamiento	parking lot
el museo	museo	museum
el teatro	teatro	theater
el cine	cine	movie theater
el quiosco	quiosco	kiosk
el puesto de periódicos	puesto de periódicos	newsstand
el sótano	sótano	basement
la azotea	azotea	rooftop
el techo	techo	roof / ceiling
la barda	muro exterior	wall, perimeter wall
el árbol	árbol	tree
el taxi	taxi	taxi
llamar un taxi	pedir un taxi	to call a taxi
la ciclovía	carril bici	bike lane
la señal de alto	señal de stop	stop sign
ceda el paso	señal de prioridad	yield sign

Some of these words are very important for daily survival in Mexico City. Banqueta is one of the first words visitors notice, because in many other countries people say acera. Camellón is also very Mexican and refers to the green or concrete divider in the middle of large avenues. Glorieta is common in Mexico City, where roundabouts are everywhere.

Small businesses have their own vocabulary too. Abarrotes and miscelánea are not supermarkets. They are small neighborhood stores, often family-run, where people buy basic items. In NYC we call them bodegas. Casona is another useful word in Mexico City, because many older neighborhoods still have large historic houses converted into cafés, offices, or cultural centers.

Knowing these words will make walking around Mexico City easier and less stressful. You will understand directions faster, recognize signs, and feel more confident asking for help.