Like Hans Holbein's 1538 alphabet, death is at the core of Abecedario de Juárez. This polyptych depicts the daily fare in Juárez: torture, execution and mutilation. In Juarez, killing is an industry as well as an entertainment. Abecedario de Juárez is the ‘rosetta stone’ for a new language rising out of Juárez and the visual accompaniment for a glossary of narco terminology. A book of these “ABCs” will fix aspects of an ever evolving language that is secretive by nature. It will inevitably be a history book. Many words and meanings will have fallen out of use before the pages are bound.

I am beginning to add the words that constitute this new glossary. Many individuals are responsible for gathering this information. Julian Cardona,
Ken Ellingwood, narcocartels.blogspot.com are among sources used.