Mariachi Vargas’ stunning performance of Amo Esta Tierra/Qué Bonita es Mi Tierra, from the 25th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza, was captured on video by our team at Solarshot. We hope you enjoy this new video release that showcases the strong coros and muscianship that are all too familiar within the legendary Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.
“Amo Esta Tierra” was written by twentieth-century Mexican singer-songwriter Felipe “El Charro” Gil. The piece became known throughout the musical world when singer Marco Antonio Muñiz recorded it on his 1971 album Amo Esta Tierra.
Throughout the piece, the songwriter exudes love for Mexico in the lyrics that sing Amo esta tierra mía que me dio la vida, que me vio nacer. En esta tierra nací, en ella quiero morir. The writer refers to the life and knowledge he’s experienced from living on the land that he loves. Acknowledging his national pride, and believing that no other place could possibly compare to his country, the songwriter explains that this is the exact place where he wants to finish out his life. “Amo Esta Tierra” was adapted into a joropo-style piece by Mariachi Vargas and released on their 1995 album La Fiesta del Mariachi.
“Amo Esta Tierra” transitions into “Qué Bonita es Mi Tierra,” whose rhythm is a combination the huapango and the Ecuatorian pasillo. This song was popularized by “El Rey del Falsete” Miguel Aceves Mejía on his albums Para Mis Amigos del Norte y Del Sur and Canta…Los Huapangos de Oro. This anthem is widely considered to be one of the most beloved compositions of Mariachi Vargas’ general director, Don Rubén Fuentes. Written in conjunction with lyric poet Mario Molina Montes, “Qué Bonita es Mi Tierra” starts with the singer’s near disbelief as he interprets his undying admiration for Mexico’s beauty. As the song continues, the writer describes how God took all of the blessings of the heavens and skies to form this beloved land, and that God has blessed the world with his pride of creation—Mexico.
Ay, caray, caray
Qué bonita es mi tierra, qué bonita, qué linda es
Hizo Dios un sarape bordado con sol
Y del cielo un sombrero de charro moldeó…
Dios te formó para ser el orgullo del mundo…
After it gained in popularity through Mejia’s recoding, “Qué Bonita es Mi Tierra” was subsequently recorded by Mariachi Vargas, with a different arrangement for sisters Sonia y Myriam. Since then, it has continued to gain mainstream popularity over the years and has been recorded by dozens of artists such as Lucha Villa, Javier Solís, Lola Beltrán and Pepe Aguilar. The most recent recording of it can be found on Luis Miguel’s 2017 album ¡México Por Siempre! where Mariachi Vargas serves as the musical accompaniment.
“Qué Bonita es Mi Tierra” has become a standard at Vargas’ concerts, and was first released by the group on their 1970 album Fiesta en Jalisco. It was subsequently featured on their 75th Anniversary album as well as their symphonic En Vivo album with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Querétaro.
Audiences were enamored by Vargas’ performance of Amo Esta Tierra/Qué Bonita es Mi Tierra with the latest generation of the group. The voices of violinists Daniel Martínez and Andrés González and guitarist Jonathan Palomar were none other than spectacular. And with Vargas’ newest members —trumpeter Agustín Sandoval and violinists/vocalists Ángel López and Robert López — the group was ON FIRE when they performed this piece and others on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. Do share this blog with your friends and invite them to sign up for the mariachimusic.com newsletter, as more videos from the 25th Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza will be shared during the upcoming weeks.
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