Puerto Vallarta: Who is Who In Mexico

Do You Know a Chilango?

We’ve met many people in Puerto Vallarta from Mexico City who commonly refer to the city as DF, which stands for Federal District (Distrito Federal). In the current term of President Enríque Peña Nieto, the name Mexico City was officially christened as such, but old habits die hard so when you hear someone talking about DF, they might be a Chilango.

A demonym is a tribal name or denotes national or racial identification. We all have one, like someone from England is English or from Canada is Canadian. In some cases, a demonyn narrows down to a locale, like a person from Liverpool is a Liverpudlian and someone from Honolulu is referred to as a Kānaka. A Mexican from Mexico City is called Chilango. It also refers to anything from Mexico City, for example food, drink or fashion… “belonging to Mexico City.”

Chilango is not a derogatory term though some use it in such a way to make it sound like Chilangos are pretentious and snobby. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our friends from Mexico City sometimes might seem more refined and in touch with excellent cuisine and the arts, but they are warm, generous and gracious people. It’s certainly true that coming to Puerto Vallarta has brought them to a small town from a big city. Imagine….Mexico City has a population of nearly nine million people. Compare that to Puerto Vallarta where we think we are bursting at the seams at less than a quarter million (230,000) and one can see how there might be differences between the citizenry.

Fresa is a slangy idiom for someone from Mexico City and it can mean a person who is preppy or conceited but we know people who are proud of the label. They even consider it a compliment to their sense of style, model of car, or political opinions. Fresa translates to strawberry in English so it’s meant to imply sweet, juicy and attractive, words that generally define a person as flattering and pleasing to the eye.

Whether Fresa or Chilango, we know many people from Mexico City and welcome them all to Puerto Vallarta, the home of the Pata Salada (person with salty feet)! Nicknames in Mexico are common and we love how a demonyn gives us a new view of geography, as well as the culture.

Que es cómo es.


Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have Timothy Real Estate Group, a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate.