Yupanqui was born Héctor Roberto Chavero Haram in Pergamino (Buenos Aires Province), in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers away from Buenos Aires. His family moved to Tucumán when he was ten. In a bow to two legendary Incan kings, he adopted the stage name Atahualpa Yupanqui, which became famous the world over.
In his early years, Yupanqui travelled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the indigenous culture. He also became radicalized and joined the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed uprising of the Kennedy brothers and was forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. He returned to Argentina in 1934.
In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to Buenos Aires; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "Nenette", who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym "Pablo Del Cerro".
Because of his Communist Party affiliation (which lasted until 1952), his work suffered from censorship during Juan Perón's presidency; he was detained and incarcerated several times. He left for Europe in 1949. Édith Piaf invited him to perform in Paris in June of that year. He subsequently toured extensively throughout Europe.
In 1952, Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires. He broke with the Communist Party, which made it easier for him to book radio performances.
Recognition of Yupanqui's ethnographic work became widespread during the 1960s, and nueva canción artists such as Mercedes Sosa recorded his compositions and made him popular among the younger musicians, who referred to him as Don Ata.
Yupanqui alternated between houses in Buenos Aires and Cerro Colorado, Córdoba province. During 1963-1964, he toured Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Italy. In 1967, he toured Spain, and settled in Paris. He returned regularly to Argentina, but these visits became less frequent when the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976.
Yupanqui died in Nimes, France in 1992 at the age of 84; he was buried in the Cerro Colorado Cementery.
El Cielo Esta Dentro De Mi
Atahualpa Yupanqui Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me detuve a descansar
Pero sentí que me iba
Sin moverme del lugar
Los ojos se me perdierón
En aquella inmensidad
Y me olvidé de mi mismo
Tanto mirar y mirar
Depronto me ha preguntado la voz de la soledad si andaba buscando el cielo y yo respondí quízas El cielo está dentro de uno y está el infierno también
El alma escribe su libros
Pero ninguno los lee
Aveces uno camina
Entre la sombra y la luz
En la cara la sonrisa
Y en el corazón la cruz
Buscalo al cielo en ti mismo
Que alli lo vas a encontrar
Pero no es fàcil hallarlo
Pues hay mucho que luchar
Por caminos solitario
Yo me puese a caminar
Por fuera nada buscaba
Pero por dentro quízas
Atahualpa Yupanqui's song "El Cielo Está Dentro de Mí" tells the tale of a traveler who stops to rest atop a mountain and becomes entranced by the vastness of his surroundings. Lost in his own thoughts, he hears a voice of solitude ask if he is searching for the sky. The traveler responds that perhaps the sky is within oneself, along with the possibility of finding hell. The lyrics speak of the struggle to find oneself, the dualities of life, and the quest for inner peace. The imagery of light and shadow, the smile on one's face, and the cross in one's heart further emphasizes the idea of opposites, and how they coexist in one's being.
Through the use of metaphors and poetic language, the lyrics suggest that finding the sky within oneself is not an easy feat. It takes strength to walk the solitary path and search within oneself without losing identity, yet it promises self-discovery and liberation. The song speaks to the universal human experience of searching for meaning and purpose, of trying to find oneself and connect with something greater than oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
En lo alto de la sierra
At the top of the mountain range
Me detuve a descansar
I stopped to rest
Pero sentí que me iba
But I felt like I was leaving
Sin moverme del lugar
Without moving from the place
Los ojos se me perdierón
My eyes lost themselves
En aquella inmensidad
In that immensity
Y me olvidé de mi mismo
And I forgot myself
Tanto mirar y mirar
Looking and looking so much
Depronto me ha preguntado la voz de la soledad si andaba buscando el cielo y yo respondí quízas El cielo está dentro de uno y está el infierno también
Suddenly the voice of solitude asked me if I was looking for heaven, and I responded maybe heaven is within ourselves, and hell too
El alma escribe su libros
The soul writes its books
Pero ninguno los lee
But nobody reads them
Aveces uno camina
Sometimes one walks
Entre la sombra y la luz
Between shadow and light
En la cara la sonrisa
On the face a smile
Y en el corazón la cruz
And in the heart, the cross
Buscalo al cielo en ti mismo
Look for heaven within yourself
Que alli lo vas a encontrar
You will find it there
Pero no es fàcil hallarlo
But it's not easy to find it
Pues hay mucho que luchar
Because there is much to fight for
Por caminos solitario
On solitary roads
Yo me puese a caminar
I started walking
Por fuera nada buscaba
I was not looking for anything outside
Pero por dentro quízas
But maybe inside
Writer(s): Atahualpa Yupanqui, Pablo Del Cerro
Contributed by Jeremiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.