What does “boyaco” mean in Colombian Spanish?

Camión dodge clásico subiendo al ferry en el campo

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A2 Spanish listening practice · Colombian Spanish · Picked for people who know a little

💡 Did you know?
el Boyaco
Colombian regional nickname
an informal demonym for someone from Boyacá, Colombia

The veteran trucker here is known as el Boyaco — informal Colombian for a person from the department of Boyacá, a highland region north of Bogotá. The official, neutral demonym is boyacense; boyaco is the clipped, colloquial version. It once leaned dismissive (a stand-in for “country bumpkin”), but today it’s used affectionately as often as not, much like a regional nickname worn with pride.

The name Boyacá comes from the Muisca Boiacá, glossed as “land of the royal blanket” or “the cacique’s enclosure.” Colombian Spanish is rich in these clipped demonyms — paisa for someone from Antioquia, costeño for the Caribbean coast. Tone is everything: said warmly among truckers, el Boyaco is a badge; said coldly, it can sting.

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this A2 Spanish listening practice video?

82.3%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common Spanish words
Most of the words in this video are common Spanish words.

How common in written Spanish

73.4%
Top 1,000
82.3%
Top 2,000
94.9%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken Spanish

84.8%
Top 1,000
93.9%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in Spanish.

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.

dodjet
1×
Not in top 5,000
(brand) Dodge — classic truck
transportado
1×
Not in top 5,000
transported
carro sin acabadero
1×
car that has no end; endless design

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

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