Voice of the People: The One-and-for-All Explanation for the Devil Winds

The proclivity for speakers of English to butcher Spanish pronunciation is well documented. Accents are often placed where they don’t belong. Witness the pronunciation of names ending in z- Chavez, Perez, Marquez are accented on the last syllable instead of where the emphasis belongs-in the next to last syllable. Therein rests the answer to the name of those nasty winds that torment us every fall in the Inland Empire. It has been mentioned that the early Eastern arrivals to Mexican California heard the winds described as "Devil Winds" by Californians who used the word “satanás” (Satan) to talk about them. The new arrivals perhaps knew of the Mexican general Santa Ana, or the local river named for the saint, so it was easy and natural to change the pronunciation and the accent from satanás to santanas to Santa Ana winds. So there you have it-the final and authoritative explanation for those conditions that plague us at this time of the year. They are the satanás winds, and don’t you forget it!