A Song for Tupac Amaru

Today in class will be learning about the Wars Against Spain in the early 19th century. It is a period where Spain loses all of its colonies in Latin American (except for the Caribbean) in less than 30 years. In order to understand the roots of those anti-colonial wars we need to understand the indigenous forms of resistance that continued for centuries even after Spain had colonized, converted and enslaved most of Latin America.

We'll be learning today about Tupac Amaru II who led an uprising against the Spanish in 1780. Below is a song written by Alejandro Romualdo that I sometimes share with my students.

And hunggan, kumayu Si Tupac Amaru yan Si Tupac Shakur. Tupac Shakur was named after Tupac Amaru. 


A CHORAL SONG FOR TUPAC AMARU

By Alejandro Romualdo Valle

Lo harán volar con dinamita.
En masa, lo cargarán, lo arrastrarán.
A golpes le llenarán de pólvora la boca.
Lo volarán:
¡Y no podrán matarlo!

They will blow him with dynamite.
As one mass, they will lift him, they will drag him.
As they beat him, will fill his mouth with gunpowder.
They will blow him up:
And they won't be able to kill him!

Le pondrán de cabeza
Le quitarán sus deseos, sus dientes y gritos.
Lo patearán a toda furia. Luego,
lo sangrarán:
¡Y no podrán matarlo!

They will place him upside down.
Will take away his desires, his teeth and his cries.
They will kick him with all fury.
Then, will have him bleeding:
And they will not be able to kill him!

Coronarán con sangre su cabeza;
sus pómulos con golpes. Y con clavos sus costillas.
Le harán morder el polvo.
Lo golpearán:
¡Y no podrán matarlo!

They will crown his head with blood,
his cheekbones, with beatings. And his ribs with nails.
They will make him bite the ground.
They will beat him:
And they won't be able to kill him!

Le sacarán los sueños y los ojos.
Querrán descuartizarlo grito a grito.
Lo escupirán. Y a golpe de matanza,
lo clavarán:
¡Y no podrán matarlo!

They will pull out his dreams and eyes.
They will want to massacre him cry after cry.
They will spit on him. Attempting to murder him,
they will crucify him.
And they won't be able to kill him!

Lo pondrán en el centro de la plaza,
boca arriba mirando el infinito.
Le amarrarán los miembros. A la mala,
tirarán:
¡Y no podrán matarlo!

They will bring him to the center of the square,
his face up looking to the infinity.
They will tight his arms and legs up. Badly,
they will pull them apart:
And they won't be able to kill him!

Querrán volarlo y no podrán volarlo.
Querrán romperlo y no podrán romperlo.
Querrán matarlo y no podrán matarlo.

They will want to blow him apart and they won't be able to blow him apart.
They will want to tear him up and they they won't be able to tear him up.
They will want to kill him and they won't be able to kill him.

Querrán descuartizarlo, triturarlo,
mancharlo, pisotearlo, desalmarlo.

They will want to dismember him, crush him,
stain him, step on him, take his soul away.

Querrán volarlo y no podrán volarlo.
Querrán romperlo y no podrán romperlo.
Querrán matarlo y no podrán matarlo.

They will want to blow him apart and they won't be able to blow him apart.
They will want to tear him up and they they won't be able to tear him up.
They will want to kill him and they won't be able to kill him.

Al tercer día de sus sufrimientos,
cuando se crea todo consumado,
gritando ¡LIBERTAD! sobre la tierra,
ha de volver:
¡Y no podrán matarlo!

At the third day of suffering,
when everything is believed to be consummated,
shouting: Freedom! above groun,
he must return:
And they won't be able to kill him!

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