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.
La milonga perdida
Atahualpa Yupanqui Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No la pueden encontrar
Unos dicen que la vieron
Cerca de San Nicolás
El resero Gorosito
Surero del lau de Puán
Asegura que la ha visto
Y anda por ahí lo que dice
Don Gabino, el mayoral
Que la sintió muy quejosa
Allá por la paternal
La milonga se ha perdido
No la pueden encontrar
No falta quien asegura
Que la escucho en un portal
En labios de una morena
Adorno de soledad
El aire de la milonga
No se pierde así nomás
Mientras haya una guitarra
Argentina u oriental
Tal vez ha cambiado un poco
Pero es la misma nomás
Amanecida en la pampa
Trasnochada en la ciudad
La milonga se ha perdido
No la pueden encontrar
Atahualpa Yupanqui's song La milonga perdida is a beautiful and mysterious ballad about a lost milonga, a dance that originated in Argentina and Uruguay. The lyrics describe how people have been searching for it in various places, but it seems to remain elusive. Some claim to have seen it near San Nicolás or by the edge of the sea, while others heard it in a portal from a lonely woman. Despite these rumors, the milonga remains lost.
The song evokes a feeling of nostalgia and longing for a bygone era. Atahualpa Yupanqui suggests that the milonga is a part of the cultural heritage of Argentina and Uruguay that cannot be lost or forgotten. It is an essential aspect of their identity, and as long as there are guitars and people to play and dance, the milonga will continue to exist.
The lyrics also suggest that the milonga has evolved over time, adapting to new environments and experiences. But despite these changes, it remains fundamentally the same, a reflection of the Argentine and Uruguayan spirit that has endured throughout history.
Overall, La milonga perdida is a melancholic yet hopeful tribute to a lost dance that will only be found again through the preservation of cultural traditions and the love of music and dance.
Line by Line Meaning
La milonga se ha perdido
The traditional Argentine tango has been lost
No la pueden encontrar
No one can locate it
Unos dicen que la vieron
Some people claim to have seen it
Cerca de San Nicolás
Near San Nicolás
El resero Gorosito
The cowboy Gorosito
Surero del lau de Puán
From the southern region of Puán
Asegura que la ha visto
Claims to have seen it
Por la orillita del mar
By the edge of the sea
Y anda por ahí lo que dice
And there's a rumor going around
Don Gabino, el mayoral
Don Gabino, the overseer
Que la sintió muy quejosa
That he heard it melancholic
Allá por la paternal
Somewhere in Paternal
No falta quien asegura
There are those who claim
Que la escucho en un portal
That they heard it in a doorway
En labios de una morena
From the lips of a dark-haired woman
Adorno de soledad
Wearing an air of solitude
El aire de la milonga
The feeling of the traditional tango
No se pierde así nomás
Cannot be lost so easily
Mientras haya una guitarra
As long as there is a guitar
Argentina u oriental
Whether from Argentina or Uruguay
Tal vez ha cambiado un poco
Perhaps it has changed a bit
Pero es la misma nomás
But it's still the same
Amanecida en la pampa
Dawn in the Argentine countryside
Trasnochada en la ciudad
Night-time in the city
La milonga se ha perdido
The traditional Argentine tango has been lost
No la pueden encontrar
No one can locate it
Writer(s): Atahualpa Yupanqui
Contributed by Hailey H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@UnDentista
Mis respetos.
@javiergarcia5886
Bb bb hkkkj7 de k
@alfredocampillo2476
jaja yo veo sus videos, que loco que hayamos coincidido aquí
@jhansam8757
Capooooooo🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
@Brokel.
~y asï olvidamos nuestra tradiciön, por la flojedera..
@saucedel7934
Único Don Ata con su decir poético y el rasguido de su guitarra donde hombre he instrumento son una sola alma
@oscargonzalez420
Desde Maldonado Uruguay un honor contar con este documento de esta institucion de la musica americana. Gracias
@zuzannawisniewska4464
My respect for all Argentine folklore from Austin, Texas. Love this beautiful music....listening in July 2023...
@mariadelourdesbrescianini5201
Sim, guarden silencio; Arahualpa esta cantando.........MARAVILHOSO..😊😊😊 Maria de Lourdes Brescianini Curitiba Paraná Brasil
@joseaugustoparrenogranda5266
Mis respetos al cantautor Atahualpa Yupanqui que con guitarra en mano le arrancó melodías de vida a su vida, nostalgia y alegría.