Chafamex

A relic from the time when Mexico was closed to international trade and illegal imports (a.k.a. fayuca, fa-YOO-kah) were coveted by their quality relative to Mexican products.

Chafamex (chah-fah-MEX) is composed of two parts, chafa and mex. Chafa, which most likely comes from the English term chaffy, is used to denote poor quality. Mex is used to imply that we are looking at "the Mexican version of" the product. In sum, a chafamex product is made in Mexico and, consequently, it has poor quality (see Malinchista). The use and meaning of chafamex are very similar to those of "El Cheapo."

Ilse: Oye, está padrísima tu secadora del pelo. ¿La compraste en el gabacho?
Mimí: Nel, es chafamex. Lo compré afuera del metro.

Ilse: Hey, what a nice hair dryer. Did you get it in the U.S.?
Mimí: Nope, it's made in Mexico. I got it outside of the subway.

Note: As Mexico opened to trade, product quality has met new lows thanks to Chinese imports.

Ink done with a Schizophrenic attitude.