colonia

[kuh-loh-nee-uh, -lohn-yuh, kaw-law-nyah]

noun

plural

colonias 

1. (in the southwestern U.S.) a city neighborhood or a rural settlement inhabited predominantly by Mexicans or Mexican Americans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of colonia¹

< Mexican Spanish: newly built or settled district of a city; Spanish: plantation, colony

Example Sentences

The latter led to violent riots when residents of La Colonia, a Latino neighborhood where Chavez once lived, rose up.

From Los Angeles Times

Once known as Colonia Dignidad, it was home to a secretive religious sect founded by a manipulative and abusive leader who collaborated with the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

From BBC

After Gen Pinochet led a coup in 1973, opponents of his military regime were taken to Colonia Dignidad to be tortured in dark basements.

From BBC

His sister, Ana Aguayo, sits by the fire in her house in Parral, the nearest town to Colonia Dignidad.

From BBC

"My mother and father went to Colonia Dignidad but weren't allowed in," she said.

From BBC