Con Acento Latino - Español para extranjeros

(June 18th, 2011).- This word, which is not contained in the dictionary of the RAE, has been chosen in the E day as the most beautiful word of our language. It was the most voted word in the Internet and proposed by the Mexican actor Gael García Bernal.

Querétaro is a word of Otomi origin meaning "island of the blue salamanders," although another version says it is a voice of Purépecha origin, ethnicity that also lived in central Mexico, meaning "place of reptiles."

Over 33,000 people voted online until yesterday their favorite word in Spanish. The winner was announced by the director of the Instituto Cervantes, Carmen Caffarel, flanked by Ana Maria Matute, last winner of the greatest prize of our literature, the Cervantes Award, and the Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde.

Spanish speakers from all over the world voted for the most beautiful word in the E day and dedicated to the language of Cervantes a holiday, which was celebrated with 500 events in 78 cities around the globe with a playful shower of words. "A great part of the participants surely voted from Mexico and were able to elevate the name of the Mexican state of Querétaro as the most beautiful word in our language over voices such as dream (sueño), emotion (emoción), flamenco, bat (murciélago), dawn (alborada), joy (alegría), peace (paz) or word (palabra).

"We want to consolidate this party as that of those who speak Spanish, so each year we will have a day when we feel united by a common language and sharing the vast richness of Spanish culture," said the director of the Instituto Cervantes.

For more information, visit www.fundacionlengua.com.

En cuanto a la situación actual, ha recalcado que el estado de derecho en América Latina sigue siendo "precario", al igual que la democracia, y ha incidido en que es la región más inequitativa del mundo. Ha apuntado que la corrupción continúa como "uno de los principales problemas a batir" y ha advertido de que la desaparición de las guerrillas no ha acabado con la violencia en la región, Al mismo tiempo, ha lamentado que la relación entre los países de América Latin sigue siendo limitada, a pesar de las nuevas tecnologías.

En términos políticos, Volpi aprecia una "tendencia al centro" en algunos gobiernos latinoamericanos debido, en su opinión, "al desgaste del caudillismo y al surgimiento de nuevos líderes".