ARE YOU A YUMA?

Fun Factoid

At the top of the show, the Tropicana Club dancer (Ines, played by Cheryl) calls the tourists “Yuma!” In Cuba, this is the word is applied to foreign visitors, especially Americans.

Ay Yuma!  Kate Raines, Plate 3 Photography

This is yuma. It is the word applied to foreign visitors to Cuba, especially Americans. In other Spanish-speaking countries, tourists are more likely to be called gringos. Yuma is also a small town in the desert near the Mexico-Arizona border. The term stems from a 1957 American Western movie (that was remade in 2007). Should you visit Cuba and hear yourself being called a yuma, it is not considered terribly derogatory, but it is clear that you are not local.  For other interesting slang, here is a top ten list.