Rigoberto Fontao Meza (December 29, 1900 – December 29, 1936) was a Paraguayan poet. He is considered by some to be one of the greatest poets of the Paraguayan

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

canon. He wrote highly descriptive poems in Spanish, Guarani and

Jopara Jopara () or Yopará () is a colloquial form of Guarani spoken in Paraguay which uses a number of Spanish loan words. Its name is from the Guarani word for "mixture".Britton, A. Scott (2004). ''Guarani-English/English-Guarani Concise Dictionary' ...

. He died in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, on his birthday, December 29, 1936, at the age of 36.

Biography

The son of Benjamín Fontao and Marciana Meza, he was born in Tape Ka'aty, located in the

San Pedro Department, Paraguay San Pedro () is a department of Paraguay. The capital is the city of San Pedro de Ycuamandiyú. History During the 17th and 18th centuries there was even greater political and population instability than in Concepción. The Mbayá and Payagu ...

, on December 29, 1900. He was friends with many of the composers of his time, including

José Asunción Flores José Asunción Flores (27 August 1904 – 16 May 1972) was a Paraguayan composer and creator of the Guarania music genre. Early life Flores was born in the poor neighborhood of La Chacarita, in Asunción. As a kid, he had to work as a pape ...

. Flores composed the lyrics of the songs "Arribeño Resay", "Ka'aty" and the first version of "India" for him. He wrote the lyrics of "El Arriero", with

Félix Pérez Cardozo Félix Pérez Cardozo (20 November 1908 – 9 June 1952) was a Paraguayan harpist. Pérez Cardozo died on June 9, 1952, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Beginnings Pérez Cardozo was born to Teodoro Pérez and Cándida Rosa Cardozo in the sma ...

composing a song for it later. The piece has since been interpreted by numerous people. When

Manuel Ortiz Guerrero Manuel Ortiz Guerrero (16 July 1894 – 8 May 1933) was a Paraguayan poet and musician. Biography Guerrero was born in Ybaroty, a neighbourhood in the city of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo, Paraguay. He was the son of Vicente Ortiz and Susana ...

heard Flores' interpretation for the ''guarania'' (a traditional Guarani folk song) "India" for the first time, he showed admiration for the piece, but questioned the lyrics, saying that they did not have the same transcendence as the song, and offered to compose better lyrics. Flores and Rigoberto Fontao Meza agreed that Meza wouldn't allow the change, but Flores replaced the lyrics with ones from Guerrero, and it became the version of India known nowadays. "India" was declared in 1944 as "Official Paraguayan Music" along with "Campamento Cerro León" and "Cerro Corá" by law of the Executive State.

List of Works

Meza wrote numerous poems throughout his lifetime. Some of his contributions to the Paraguayan folkloric canon include: * Mba'épa Nerohasê. * Mutilados de guerra. * El Arriero. * Arribeño Resay. * Ka'a Poty. * Che resay. * Nde Clavelkuemi. * Poniente Ruguaicha. * Congoja. * Nda vy'airamoguare. * Guerra tiempope guare'e. He also produced theatrical plays and published a poem book.

References

* ''Sonidos de mi Tierra''. 1900 births 20th-century Paraguayan poets Paraguayan male poets 1936 deaths Guarani-language writers 20th-century male writers {{Paraguay-poet-stub