Just as different countries have different words for different things, so they also have different hand gestures, and Mexico is no exception. But try finding a guide to these critical bits of cultural knowledge in the Lonely Planet guide! Ha! So as a long overdue public service, we present the following primer:

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ABOVE: Rich, as in “I have enough money to make a nice stack in between these fingers.” Americans, of course, are accustomed to just rubbing their thumbs and fingers together, implying that a few bills is enough to make a guy rich. My pet theory holds that this has to do with the relative strength of the dollar. But the way the dollar is going, we Yanks may soon have to adopt this sign as well. 

ABOVE: And speaking of money, this means cheapskate. 

ABOVE: Part one of “yes.”

ABOVE: Part two. Go back and forth between these several times, and pretty soon someone will bring you a beer or you will be engaged to be married!

ABOVE: When thrust forward a bit, this means something dreadful about your mother.

ABOVE: Thank you. Very convenient in loud situations, such as the aforementioned bar.

ABOVE: As is it this means “crowded” or “lots of people or things.” But when you move this hand up and town slightly it means “really.” Or…

ABOVE: …when you spread the fingers apart and repeat that motion several times, you mean “chicken.” (The scared kind of chicken, not the tasty bird.)

ABOVE: Soon. As in, soon we will have another interesting post about Mexican culture.

Special thanks to hand model Cynthia Margarita Martinez Bolaños. And if you want to see more Mexican hand gestures, check out this cool but less comprehensive You Tube video. Also, to check out other hand gestures from around the world this video is worth watching.

…for your attention.