---
title: "caguama"
translation: "The big shared bottle of beer."
type: "word"
category: "slang"
url: "https://consalsa.app/words/caguama"
canonical: "https://consalsa.app/words/caguama"
published: "2026-09-25"
updated: "2026-09-25"
author: "Andrey the Nomad"
site: "ConSalsa.App"
license: "https://consalsa.app/terms#ip"
---

# caguama
URL: https://consalsa.app/words/caguama
Translation: The big shared bottle of beer.
Pronunciation: /kaˈɣwa.ma/
Category: slang
Region: Mexico
Register: casual, everyday, completely safe
Variants: caguamas, ballena, caguama familiar
Literal meaning: Una caguama is the loggerhead turtle - squat, brown-green, and shaped a good deal like the bottle.
Published: 2026-09-25

Quick answer:
- Una caguama is the large shared bottle of beer sold in Mexican corner stores and depósitos.
- At 940ml it is meant for a group. It gets shared - poured into cups if there are cups, passed around if there are not.
- The glass carries a deposit. Bring an empty, or pay for the envase and get it back when you return it.

What it means:
- One big bottle, several people. That is the whole institution - 940ml, the cheapest way to drink beer in Mexico, and built for sharing rather than for one person's evening. Cups if somebody asks for cups; passed around the circle if not.
- It is also a plan rather than an object. Vamos por una caguama does not mean somebody is thirsty; it means sitting somewhere for a couple of hours, usually outside, usually with whoever is around.

Literal meaning:
- Una caguama is a sea turtle - a real animal, and a protected one. The bottle got the name for its size, and nothing about the association survives into daily use.
- The other name for the same thing is ballena, whale, which follows the same logic. Which word you hear depends on the brand and the region, and both are ordinary.

How Mexicans use it:
- You buy it at a depósito or a tiendita, not at a bar. The whole point is the price per milliliter, and a bar undoes that.
- The deposit is the part foreigners miss. El envase - the bottle - is worth money, so you either arrive with an empty to swap or you pay for the glass and get it back later. ¿Traes envase? is a normal first question from whoever is serving you.
- Vasos are a request, not a given - ask and you get a stack of plastic cups. Plenty of circles skip them entirely and pass the bottle, which is completely normal. What is not normal is buying one for yourself while other people are there.
- It is a sidewalk drink as much as a house drink. A folding table, a doorway, a roof - the bottle in the middle is the shape of a very large number of Mexican evenings.

Common mistake:
- Treating it as a single-serving beer. At 940ml it is about two and a half regular bottles, and it is designed for a group - buying one for yourself while other people are standing there is a small social misfire rather than a language error.
- Walking off with the bottle. The glass is not yours - it carries a deposit, and the shop expects it back. Leaving empties in the street is the local equivalent of throwing away coins.

Examples:
- Vamos por una caguama. — Let's go get a big beer.
- ¿Traes envase o te cobro el casco? — Did you bring an empty, or am I charging you for the bottle?
- Pide unos vasos, no nos la vamos a empinar. — Ask for some cups, we're not going to swig it.
- Ya se nos acabó, ¿vamos por otra? — It's gone, should we grab another?

Mini dialogue:
A: Buenas, ¿me da una caguama?
B: ¿Trae envase, joven?
A: No, es la primera.
B: Entonces va con envase. Cuando la traiga se lo descuento.
A: Va. ¿Y me regala unos vasos?
B: Ahí están, agarre los que necesite.

FAQ:
Q: What is a caguama?
A: The large shared bottle of beer sold in Mexican corner stores and depósitos. It is meant for a group and poured into plastic cups.

Q: Why is it called a caguama?
A: Because una caguama is the loggerhead turtle - squat and brown-green, much the shape of the bottle. Ballena, whale, is the northwest name for the same idea.

Q: How big is a caguama?
A: 940ml - about two and a half regular bottles. Media caguama is 473ml and a caguamón is 1.2 litres.

Q: What is the envase deposit?
A: The glass bottle is worth money. You either bring an empty to swap or pay for the bottle and get that back when you return it. ¿Traes envase? is a standard question.

Q: Can you drink a caguama alone?
A: Nothing stops you. What reads oddly is buying one for yourself while other people are there - the bottle is built for a group, and that is the whole institution.

Q: What is the difference between a caguama and a chela?
A: Chela is beer in general, usually a single one. Una caguama is one specific big bottle, and it is a plan for several people rather than a drink for one.

Q: Where do you buy a caguama?
A: A depósito or a tiendita. An Oxxo works and costs a bit more. Bars sell them too, but the point of a caguama is the price and a bar cancels it.

Related words: chela, peda, estar-pedo, reventon, tienes-cambio