What is the origin of the word varo

In Mexico there are different ways to tell money, one of them is to say “varo” and although there is still discussion about whether to write with v or b, it is one of the most used ways. It comes from the Spanish gypsy speech that over time became naturalized in Mexico.

Gypsies are words in the Spanish language that have Caló origin, known as the variant language of Roma used by the Roma people mainly in Spain. Nowadays, several of the words are recorded as colloquial for informal or formal use, in Mexico they are common in everyday life.

Surprisingly, today there are numerous words in common use in Spanish that come from the gypsy language. In the 19th century, Franz Joseph I of Austria sent many gypsies to Mexico to support Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg in the country in 1864. This immigration lasted until 1900, when one hundred Roma families arrived in Mexico and settled in Veracruz.

In Mexico, caló is used to identify, know and communicate easily, thus creating linguistic jargon with contributions from several languages such as that derived from Roma. It is also known as caliche, it began to be used by the lower social circles or criminal circles and comes directly from the Spanish gypsy caló.

According to Arturo Ortega Morán, a researcher in language matters, the Roma language, that is, the language of the gypsies, is related to Sanskrit and that is where the belief that its origin is in the lands of India comes from. It was in the 15th century that they arrived in the Iberian Peninsula and they themselves call something that is considered great as the Holocaust varo: O Baro Porrajmos (The Great Tragedy), baro is also used to refer to an important character, and they call a coin varo.

Towards the end of the 19th century in Mexico City there was the prison of Belén, it was at this time that the use of slang among gang members began to be distinguished, where it was mainly used in a vulgar way and was gradually used outside the prison. It began to be used in the social sphere where it was mixed with other languages and then it was appreciated in the 40s and 50s at the time of Mexican gold cinema.

One of the films where caliche is used is in Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados where “monkey” appears to be ready, “peel” like sneaking out, “pick” him like running.

Another way to tell money is “wool” which refers to the time when people of the nobility quantified their fortune in the wool they had from their sheep, with time saying this word was implemented as a synonym for money in Mexico.

“Feria”, has an uncertain origin but the most accepted version is that in the popularity of local or village fairs it was essential to carry coins or banknotes with small denomination in order to be able to buy without problem, so taking money to the fair became the latter.

And although nowadays it is used less and less, using “I don't bring a fifth” comes from the times of the Colony when workers were forced to give Spain 20% of all mineral deposits, this part was left in the so-called royal boxes where everyone had to pass and leave it.

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