The word rogue has several uses. On the one hand it refers to a shrewd person . The rogue in some American countries is a mestizo. At the same time, ladino is a variant of Old Castilian that is still spoken among Spanish descendants of Jews.
The rogue is a cunning person with hidden intentions.
Although the term is in disuse and to be considered a cultism, Ladino is an adjective used to qualify an individual especially resourceful and cunning. It is normally used in a derogatory sense and it is implied that the rogue person is manipulative, cunning and with other intentions. Other synonyms are more used for this word: smart ass, rogue, scoundrel, malicious, etc.
The rogues in Guatemala
Guatemala is a small country in Central America that has historically gone through a process of cultural mixing between indigenous and Spanish cultures . In the Guatemalan context, Ladinos are mestizos who have taken Spanish as their mother tongue . This phenomenon is known as Ladinization, nowadays, Ladinos are recognized as an ethnic group with its own identity.
From a sociological point of view, in its origins, the Guatemalan Ladino was the mestizo who renounced his cultural roots, as he did not want to be an Indian and aspired to become a member of the middle class. In a way, the rogue was in no man’s land, as he was neither a pure Indian nor a member of the ruling class.
The Ladino or Judeo-Spanish language
At the end of the 15th century in Spain, Jews were expelled by Catholic kings. There are several reasons that explain this fact: the persecution of Judaism as a religion, the role of the Inquisition in maintaining Catholic hegemony and the leading role of the Jews as a social group feared and hated for their financial power.
The expulsion of the Jews had several consequences. One of them was the creation of its own identity in the places where the Jewish communities settled, such as in Mexico and in the current territory of Israel. The cultural identity of Jews of Spanish origin was maintained because they preserved their language: Ladino or Judeo-Spanish. The rogue is in fact the language spoken in Spain during the Middle Ages.
It is currently a minority language, but in recent years it has sought to preserve and maintain its cultural legacy . A curious example of this phenomenon occurs in Spain, more specifically on Spanish Public Radio, which each week broadcasts a program in the Ladino language (the program is called Emission Sefarad and through it you can appreciate this 15th century language).
