cacique

noun ca·cique \ kə-ˈsēk \

Definition of cacique

1 : a native Indian chief in areas dominated primarily by a Spanish culture

2 : a local political boss in Spain and Latin America

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caciquism

play \-ˈsē-ˌki-zəm\ noun

Recent Examples of cacique from the Web

This angered a cacique (local boss), who thought the mayor was muscling in on his turf.

— The Economist, "Why being a mayor in Mexico is so dangerous," 5 May 2018
Pedro Páramo, the main character of the novel and the unmet father of its narrator, Juan Preciado, is a cacique (boss), who by violence and threat appropriates all the land in the fictional town of Comala, along with many of its women.

— The Economist, "Mexico’s maestro of menaceWhy Juan Rulfo’s fiction of fear is still revered in Latin America," 14 Dec. 2017
The arrogance (and stupidity) of the bishops, the nearness of the church with caciques, narcos and all kinds of harmful people and, above all, the silence of the Catholic hierarchy regarding child abuse.

— the new york times, New York Times, "In Mexican Slum, Pope Francis Laments Economic Gap FEB. 14, 2016," 13 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cacique.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.