Mestizaje

Song Cycle

Mestizaje was composed in an effort to highlight the importance and relevance of race mixtures in the music and cultural identity of South American people.  Each of the songs within this cycle contains elements from the Caucasian, African and Indigenous cultures respectively. These specific ethnic groups represent the three races that converged in the South American continent after colonization, and that have provided Latin-American culture with a plethora of elements that have enriched its background. The mixture of cultures and races has also contributed to the emergence of new customs, and ideas. The need for identity as a group that is made up of many different backgrounds has become a primordial discussion among Latinos. People of Latino descent, more specifically Colombians and Venezuelans, often refer to their genetic makeup as “mestizo”, which specifically denotes this mixture of races and it does not have to do with the conflicting and extensively discussed definition of the term. The disparities among authors regarding the definition of the term frequently has to do with the origins of the word itself. The word mestizo was used during the time of colonization in the South American countries by the Spaniards. During this time the habitants of colonized regions would often use the term mestizo in reference to their mixed heritage, more specifically white and indigenous mixture. The use of the term varied from person to person, in that one individual would use the term to denote their Caucasian heritage, thus, enjoying certain privileges and others would use the term to be accepted into a group or community of mixed individuals. Nowadays, the use of the term by most Latin Americans is often self-ascribed and it represents the mixture of different races disregarding which races in particular. This use of the word has to do with the etymological representation of the term mestizo, which derives from the Latin “mixtus” which means mixed. The title of this song cycle is Mestizaje, which derives from the same root, and refers specifically to the process of mixture of cultures and races. 


  • This first song is based on a legend from the region of Escorial, Spain. This legend is often referred to as “the door to hell” and it’s a folktale surrounding a rock. This rock has a mark which is supposedly the footprint of the devil; and it is said that upon that rock, Phillip II built his throne. The legend of “the door to hell” tells the story of a girl named Martiña who was very pious and devoted to the Virgin Mary. One day, Martiña was walking on her way home, when suddenly a pilgrim approached her. The pilgrim asked Martiña to deny her faith to the holy mother and in return he would give her wealth and power; the girl declined. This caused great anger to the pilgrim whom then revealed himself to be the devil and with an angry and powerful jump, he left the mark of his footprint on a rock. The legend also says that Phillip II heard of this story and decided to build his monastery “El Escorial” surrounding the rock, so that the devil would never get out.

  • This song is based on an African legend about the massive baobab tree. This tree has a very peculiar appearance and characteristics which have made it a staple in African folklore. Several species of baobab feature an extremely wide trunk, and its branches look like roots. This feature makes the tree appear as if it was buried upside down, and this is the particular element discussed in the legend. The legend talks about a young tree that kept growing without stopping, the tree wanted to grow very tall, as high as the stars, casting a shadow over the trees around it. The gods became upset for its arrogance and punished the baobab by turning it upside down, forcing it to grow downwards. This is the reason why the branches of baobab trees look like roots instead.

  • This song is based on a popular legend from Venezuela, more specifically the Yaracuy region, home to the Jirajara-Nívar tribe. The legend is founded upon an omen of the Nivar tribe; this omen said that one day, a girl with beautiful green colored eyes would be born. This girl was said to be cursed and would have to be sacrificed, for no person within the tribe should have eyes of such a color. After the Spanish conquest, Yaracuy, the chief of the tribe had a daughter and his daughter had beautiful green eyes, the chief decided to name her Yara, after his own name. Because of the omen, the Yaracuy decided to hide her in a cave surrounded by his most trusted warriors; he ordered them to never let her go outside. One night, after the girl had come of age, she heard the calling of an enchanted voice. The mysterious voice came from The Great Anaconda, whose calling put everyone in a very deep sleep, including the guarding warriors. Enchanted by his call, the beautiful princess Yara left the cave, in search for The Great Anaconda, after running for miles, Yara found a water mirror on the edge of a river. When she looked into it, she saw her beautiful green eyes; however, her eyes suddenly became the big red serpent eyes of Anaconda, Yara tried to run, but the eyes became deep caverns that swallowed her without leaving a trace. The chief and his warriors looked for Yara day and night without any success. One day, they saw in the horizon an enormous moving mountain, which they had never seen before. This mountain kept growing for days until it exploded with a torment of blood; it was The Great Anaconda, who had swallowed the princess Yara. This explosion washed the valleys and the mountains, but from the depths of the river, queen Yara appeared at last. She cleansed the lands and the villages, and grew plantations everywhere. And from this moment forward she became the queen of the Yaracuy region. It is said that she guards the mountains of the region, where she rides every night on the back of a giant tapir.