"La Sandunga" (also spelled "La Zandunga") is a

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

and the unofficial anthem of the

Isthmus of Tehuantepec The Isthmus of Tehuantepec () is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, it was a major overland transport route known simply as the T ...

, in the state of

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

. It is inspired by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

jota Jota may refer to: __NOTOC__ * Iota (Ι, ι), the name of the 9th letter in the Greek alphabet; * (figuratively) ''Something very small'', based on the fact that the letter Iota (lat. i) is the smallest character in the alphabet; * The name of the ...

style of music and also contains

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

and

Mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...

elements. Sandunga is a rarely used word in the

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

that can be translated in a variety of ways including; ''gracefulness'', ''elegance'', ''charm'', ''wit'', and ''celebration''. The melody of the song is believed to have originated from

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

and it was rearranged by Zapotec musician Andres Gutierrez Ndre Sa’a in the

Zapotec language The Zapotec languages are a group of around 50 closely related indigenous Mesoamerican languages that constitute a main branch of the Oto-Manguean language family and are spoken by the Zapotec people from the southwestern-central highlands of ...

). The lyrics were written by

Máximo Ramó Ortiz Maximo or Máximo may refer to: Arts * Capcom video game series ** '' Maximo: Ghosts to Glory'' (also known as just ''Maximo'') ** '' Maximo vs. Army of Zin'', the sequel to ''Ghosts to Glory'' * Maxïmo Park, a British indie rock band * Maximu or ...

in 1853 after the death of his mother. Ortiz, who served as governor of Tehuantepec also wrote the song in part to promote independence of the isthmus from the Mexican government. The song tells of a Zapotec woman mourning the death of her mother while crying out, "Sandunga".

Vela Sandunga

The city of

Tehuantepec Tehuantepec (, in full, Santo Domingo Tehuantepec) is a city and municipality in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The area was important in pre-Hispanic per ...

is divided into neighborhoods called barrios, each of which has its own church. Every year celebrations called

velas Velas may refer to: Places * Velas, Azores, Portugal * Velas, Maharashtra, India * Cabo Velas, Costa Rica People * Sara Velas, American artist {{dab, geo, surname ...

are held in honor of the patron saints of these churches. The most important of these velas is the Vela Sandunga, which is held during the last week of May. This vela is celebrated all week long throughout the entire city and is held to commemorate the creation of this song. A large festival is held, featuring presentations of musicians from the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

, the election of a festival queen, and a parade dedicated to the evolution of Tehuantepec traditional dress. The vela concludes with a procession in honor of

Saint Dominic Saint Dominic, (; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilians, Castilian Catholic priest and the founder of the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists, and he a ...

, the patron saint of the Isthmus.

Notable Versions

"La Sandunga" has been covered by many artists including

Chavela Vargas Chavela Vargas (; born María Isabel Anita Carmen de Jesús Vargas Lizano; 17 April 1919 – 5 August 2012) was a Costa Rican-born Mexican singer. She gained widespread recognition for her distinctive interpretations of Mexican rancheras. Howev ...

, Jaramar,

Lila Downs Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968 * *) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporat ...

Susana Harp Susana Harp Iturribarria (born April 8, 1968) is a Mexican singer and politician. She currently serves as a senator representing the state of Oaxaca. Biography Born in Oaxaca de Juárez, her mother is from Oaxaca and her father is Lebanese ...

, Los de Abajo,

Guadalupe Pineda Guadalupe Pineda Aguilar (born February 23, 1955) is a Mexican singer considered one of Mexico's grassroots musical icons. She is a recipient of the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a multi-Latin Grammy nominee, she has released more t ...

, and

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

. As early as 1946 it was recorded in the United States by the

Viva America Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Energy, an Australian petroleum company * Viva Entertainment, a Philippine media company * Viva Films, a Philippine film comp ...

Orchestra as conducted by

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

with Elsa Miranda and

John Serry Sr. John Serry Sr. (born John Serrapica; January 29, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator. He performed on the CBS Radio and Television networks and contributed to Voice ...

for Alpha records (''Latin American Music'' #12205A, 12205B, 12206A,12206B).''The Billboard''. "Advanced Record Releases - Alfredo Antonini and Viva America Orchestra", New York, Vol. 58 No. 14, 6 April 1946, P. 34 & P. 13
''Latin American Music'' - Alfredo Antonini and Viva America Orchestra in Billboard on books.google.com
/ref>

Film and television

A 1938 Mexican film titled " La Zandunga" featured this song in its soundtrack. Another from 1954, called Sandunga Para Tres, also featured the song, and uses documentary footage of the 1953 celebrations in Tehuantepec to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the song's composition. The song is used in the "Sandunga" segment of

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...

's unfinished film project " ¡Qué viva México!" The song is sung and danced to by Carmen Molina in the 1944

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

film "

The Three Caballeros ''The Three Caballeros'' is a 1944 American live-action and animated musical propaganda anthology film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the ...

". In a 1989 episode of

The Benny Hill Show ''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketch comedy, sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and ...

, Hill performs his song "Cafe Ole," which is set to the music of "La Sandunga." He had previously used the same melody in a 1972 episode where he performed it as "Zandoona." A version of this song is played in the film “

The Alamo (2004 film) ''The Alamo'' is a 2004 American war historical drama about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The film was directed by John Lee Hancock, produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark Johnson (film producer), Mark Johnson, dis ...

” during Jim Bowie’s wedding scene. The song is heard multiple times during Netflix's "

Chef's Table ''Chef's Table'' is an American documentary series created by David Gelb', which premiered on video streaming service Netflix on April 26, 2015. The series takes viewers inside both the lives and kitchens of a variety of acclaimed and successful ...

" Season 2 Episode 4 featuring Enrique Olvera and his Mexico City restaurant Pujol. The song is heard in the Pixar feature animated film "

Coco Coco or variants may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Coco'' (2009 film), a French comedy film * ''Coco'' (2017 film), an American animated fantasy film * '' Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'' (), a 2020 Japanese anime film ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandunga Songs in Spanish 1853 songs Mexican folk songs Oaxaca Waltzes