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Quinquijargon is associated withquincalleros (anitinerant group). They are a semi-nomadic people who live mainly in the northern half ofSpain. They prefer to be calledmercheros. They have declined in number from earlier reports and are possibly vanishing as a distinct ethnic group.

The language is based onGermanía, an oldSpanish criminalargot. It has elements ofCaló, a dialect of the SpanishRoma. The term comes from the wordquincallería (ironmongery), fromironmongers who first used thiscant as part of their trade.

Because the men were frequently blamed for petty crime, the word is associated in modern Spanish with delinquents,petty thieves, or hoodlums. The mercheros identify as a distinct group separate from the Romagitanos.

Scholars have many theories about the social origins ofmercheros, summarized as the following:

• Descendants of mechanical workers who arrived in Spain from central Europe in the 16th century;
• Descendants of peasants who lost their land in the 16th century;
• Descendants of intermarriage between the Roma and non-Roma populations;
• Descendants of Muslims who became nomads after the expulsion in the 15th century to escape persecution; and/or
• A mixture of the above.

• Eleuterio Sánchez, a.k.a.El Lute (born 1942). A petty thief in his early life, he was convicted of armed robbery and murder. After escaping from prison, he was listed among Spain's "Most Wanted" criminals by the Spanish police. Later he earned a law degree and wrote five books. He was pardoned at age 39.

• Caló (Spanish Romani)
• Yeniche people
• Sarakatsani
• Gacería
• Irish Travellers
• Vaqueiros de alzada

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