Tag Archives: Mexico

La Zandunga

TEXT: La Sandunga song lyrics:

Sandunga

Sandunga mamá por Dios

Sandunga no seas ingrata

Mamá de mi corazón

Ay Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios

Sandunga no seas ingrata

Mamá de mi corazón

Antenoche fui a tu casa

Tres golpes le di al candado

Tu no sirves para amores

Tienes el sueño pesado

Mi Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios

Sandunga no seas ingrata

Mamá de mi corazón

Me ofreciste acompañarme

Desde la iglesia a mi choza

Pero como no llegabas tuve que venirme sola

Ay Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios

Sandunga no seas ingrata

Mamá de mi corazón

A orillas del Papaloapan

Me estaba bañando ayer

Pasaste por las orillas y no me quisiste ver

Ay Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios

Sandunga no seas ingrata

Mamá de mi corazón

INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Male, 83, Mexican

CONTEXT: My grandfather played this song for me. I had recognized it from my entire childhood so I asked him to explain it to me. It is a very traditional Mexican folk song specifically from Oaxaca. He explained to me that although the song is very old, from the mid 1800s, it is a symbol of freedom. It appears to be about a woman but is really about the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in Oaxaca. He said in Oaxaca people sing it all of the time, while working and doing chores, to each other at night, even to lovers. The actual word is zapotec, the native tongue, and means “profound music.” The song is a song from a man to a woman originally but has been molded and shaped to fit many context when speaking about something lost or something freed.

TRANSLATION: Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God woman!

Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.

Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God woman!

Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.

Last night I went to your house,

I knocked three times by the door knocker,

You’re no good when it comes to love,

You’re deep in sleep.

Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God woman!

Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.

You offered to accompany me

From church to my house,

But you never came,

And I had to come back alone.

Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God, woman!

Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.

At the edge of the Papaloapan

I was bathing yesterday,

You passed by the edge (of the river),

And you didn’t want to see me.

THOUGHTS: This song is very beautiful by the artist Lila Downs but seems to be just as compelling by any singer due to its heartfelt and emotional qualities. It seems this variation truly encompasses its folklore and makes it very interesting to listen to every time and by different singers.

Link to other variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV4Ot_fYRb4

“El que se fue a la villa, perdió su silla.”

TEXT: “El que se fue a la villa, perdió su silla.”

INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Female, 60, Mexican

CONTEXT: This proverb was said to me when I got up from a table and when I retuned my seat had been taken.  It is used when situation like that occur and can also be applied in any situation where someone leaves a metaphorical post and then someone else takes their place. Common proverb said to children when first learning responsibility and possession. Also used jokingly between adults. The informant learned it from her parents as a baby and continued to use it sparingly in her life.

ORIGINAL SCRIPT: “El que se fue a la villa, perdió su silla.”

TRANSLITERATION: “Eh-l keh seh foo-eh ah l-ah vee-yah, peh-rr-dee-oh soo see-yah.”

TRANSLATION: “He who went to the town, lost his chair.”

THOUGHTS: I have always heard this saying and also learned it growing up. I have used it on occasion when it fits but have also heard other variations.

LINKS TO OTHER VARIATIONS: https://www.inmsol.com/spanish-proverbs/el-que-se-fue-sevilla-perdio-su-silla-finders-keepers-losers-weepers/

https://www.buenastareas.com/ensayos/Pancho-Villa-Se-Fue-a-La/6667926.html

 “Lluvia antes de las tres, buena tarde es.”

TEXT: “Lluvia antes de las tres, buena tarde es.”

INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Male, 58 years old, Mexican.

CONTEXT: This phrase was said in and is only applicable to Mexico City when it would be raining in the morning. He learned it from his mother who learned it from her mother. Said in the morning with knowledge that the rain would clear by the afternoon, which in Mexico was after lunch so by 2:30pm or 3:00pm.

ANALYSIS: Mexico City is the center of Mexico. It is like if you combined Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. all in one city. It is where politics, centralized government, and business has happened for many decades. Families have been living there for centuries. The city is a valley surrounded by mountains, the valley itself is already at a very high elevation, it is the coolest weather within a very tropical country. Therefore it has its own ecosystem/weather. These inhabitants have seen this pattern, that if it rains in the morning it will be lovely afternoon for hundreds of years, making this proverb very reliable and common. The informant grew up with it and it still applies. He would plan his day on it, if it rained in the morning he would make afternoon plans to be outdoors.

ORIGINAL SCRIPT: “Lluvia antes de las tres, buena tarde es.”

TRANSLITERATION: “Yoo-vee-ah ahn-teh-ss -deh-lah-ss treh-ss boo-eh-nah tah-rr-deh eh-ss.”

TRANSLATION: “Rain before three, good afternoon it is.”

THOUGHTS: I think it is really fascinating to be in a place with a climate that follows a pattern so closely. Sort of like a rainbow after the rain but you know it will always happen no matter what. I’ve spent time in Mexico City but never noticed this and am excited to go back and hopefully see for myself if it is true.

Cover mirror at night

Nationality: United States
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Madison County, NY
Performance Date: 04/17/2021
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

BACKGROUND: My informant, MT, is a Mexican-American born in the US. Her parents are both immigrants from Mexico and speak Spanish. I asked MT if she had any familial superstitions or rituals that she wanted to talk about and she brought up this one. Despite not being very spiritual or religious, MT does this ritual every night. 

CONTEXT: This piece is from a text conversation with my friend to discuss superstition in her family.

MT: I have to cover all of my mirrors at night because my mom said ghosts and spirits can enter our world through them. 

Me: Do you have to use a specific thing to cover it?

MT: I just use a blanket and toss it over.

THOUGHTS: This belief was interesting to me because during my conversation with another friend about folk beliefs I heard about the same ritual only carrying an entirely different meaning. My friend of Irish heritage mentioned that his family always thought that mirrors and photographs can trap souls. Hence when a loved one dies, they cover up mirrors so their soul isn’t trapped in their reflection. It’s interesting however how both cultures associate mirrors and reflections with spirits.

Warding off rain

Nationality: Italy
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Performance Date: 04/17/2021
Primary Language: English

BACKGROUND: My informant, GO, is an international student from Italy who has spent most of her life living in Mexico. She and her family are fluent in both Spanish and Italian. Interested in her unique upbringing, I asked GO if she learned any superstitions or stories during her many travels. GO responded with this piece, a Mexican tradition she learned from her friends. 

CONTEXT: This piece is from a text conversation with my friend to discuss any superstitions she’s learned during her time in Mexico.

GO: A superstition in Mexico is that’d [if] you’re hosting a lunch outdoors, like in a garden or something, you have to stab four knives onto the corners of the garden bc otherwise, it will rain.

Me: Do you think it works?

GO: Lmao it hasn’t rained yet so yea

THOUGHTS: This superstition is something that I’ve heard in the past from another friend of mine. Though I think this fear of rain is interesting because, with other people I’ve spoken to, rain is a symbol of good luck and is welcomed at gatherings like weddings and parties. Particularly for my family, rain symbolizes change and growth and its appearance suggests that there are good things on the way.