The Spanish spoken in America has some peculiarities. This is due to several reasons: the influence of indigenous languages, migratory movements throughout its history or the evolution of the language itself. The word fayuca is a good example of this, because is a term of Arabic origin that was used in Spain in the past and that means contraband article. In this sense, it refers to the sale or export of any merchandise without its corresponding authorization.
Therefore, it is a product whose commercialization is outside the law. The sale of fayuca is persecuted by the authorities for being a clandestine activity, but it is something so deeply rooted in certain territories that it has become a normalized reality.
Fayuca, black market and bachaqueo
The word fayuca is very common in Mexico and Colombia. Regarding its use, it is used in several senses: 1) to indicate that a product is an imitation and is not original, 2) to refer to a product of foreign origin, usually from an Asian country and 3) in Mexico it was used This term refers to the products that were bought in the United States and that were brought into the country through smuggling.
In Spain the word fayuca is not used and it speaks directly of a contraband or black market item, a term that was popularized in the 1930s by a famous plot related to the black market (who organized the plot were three foreigners named Strauss, Perel and Lowann and with their surnames the word black market was formed). In later years, the black market was very important in daily life during the Franco period, since food was scarce and could only be purchased on the black market.
In Venezuela, smuggling is known as bachaqueo
In the context of current Venezuelan politics, there is a government control of the prices of basic products and this generates an illegal sales network, the bachaqueo. As for the origin of the word, it comes from bachaco, which means ant. Thus, the similarity between silent ants and clandestine smugglers has created a new concept.
Some analysts consider that the context of the current Venezuelan bachaqueo is comparable to the Spanish black market of other times.
Pros and cons of smuggling
The sale of a contraband product is normally associated with cheaper prices and for this reason they are attractive to the consumer. However, in most cases they are goods of poor quality and do not offer any type of guarantee to the buyer.
Photo: Fotolia - cookart
