Inti-Illimani (from Quechuan inti and / Aymara illimani) are an instrumenta… Read Full Bio ↴Inti-Illimani (from Quechuan inti and / Aymara illimani) are an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The group was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in Chile for their song Venceremos (We shall win!) which became the anthem of the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende. At the moment of the September 11, 1973 Chilean coup they were on tour in Europe and were unable to return to their country where their music was proscribed by the ruling military junta. In Europe their music took on a multifarious character, incorporating elements of European baroque and other traditional music forms to their rich and colourful Latin American rhythms - creating a distinctive fusion of modern world music. They are perhaps the best internationally known members of the nueva canción movement. Their name means 'Sun of the Illimani.' In Aymara Illimani is the name of a mountain in the Bolivian Andes. They influenced Yeni Türkü, a Turkish group, during their debut album, Buğdayın Türküsü (Song of Wheat) in 1979.

The group was formed by students at Universidad Técnica del Estado at Santiago, Chile in 1967. In 1973 as they were on tour abroad, General Augusto Pinochet launched a coup d'etat and took power. Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings of many fellow artists by Chile's army, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in "the longest tour in history" for Inti-Illimani as they lived in de facto exile. They continued their efforts supporting Chilean democracy internationally; magnitizdat copies of their work continued to be widely distributed in Chile. In September 1988, days after they were no longer banned from Chile, they began touring Chile again. They helped organize the voting down of the referendum that would have re-elected Pinochet. Recently, they were actually supported by Chile as representatives of Chilean culture.

In the past the group was musically led by Horacio Salinas and politically led by Jorge Coulon. However, in 2001 there was a controversial split of the group, which started when three key members left the group (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas). They were replaced by Manuel Meriño (from Entrama), Cristián González and Juan Flores. Due to the importance of departed members, many called into question the ability of the remainder to carry on the Inti-Illimani name. Meanwhile, the three departed members started their own group they call Inti-Histórico. From 2005 there are two groups:

Inti-Illimani New (Coulon brothers)
Inti-Illimani Histórico (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas)

Membership
In August 1967 Inti-Illimani's earliest membership consisted of:

Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Luis Espinoza
Oscar Guzmán
Ciro Retamal
Pedro Yáñez

In 1968 Inti-Illimani's membership consisted of:

Horacio Salinas (Musical director and main composer)
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Ernesto Perez de Arce

Current line-up of the "Inti-Illimani Nuevo":

Jorge Coulon
Christian González
Daniel Cantillana
Juan Flores
Efren Viera
Marcelo Coulon
Manuel Meriño
César Jara

Current line-up of the "Inti-Histórico":

Horacio Salinas
Horacio Durán
José Seves
Jorge Ball
Fernando Julio
Camilo Salinas
Danilo Donoso

Other members in the history of the group:

Ernesto Pérez de Arce
Homero Altamirano
José Miguel Camus
Renato Freyggang
Pedro Villagra

El Guarapo Y La Melcocha
Inti-Illimani Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yo tengo un cañaveral
en una zanja de yuca
y los pollos del central
dicen que yo soy de azúcar.

Si tomo guarapo por la madrugá
lo bueno se queda, lo malo se va.
Con esa melcocha tan bien amasá.

lo bueno se queda, lo malo se va.

No te vengas dando brocha
porque yo no creo en guapos

porque si tú eres melcocha
yo soy champú de guarapos.

Overall Meaning

The song El Guarapo Y La Melcocha by the Chilean group Inti-Illimani tells a story of a man who owns a sugarcane patch on a yucca trench where the chickens from the sugar factory nearby claim he is made of sugar. The song talks about how if he drinks guarapo, a traditional Latin American beverage made from fermented sugarcane juice in the early morning, it washes away the bad things and only the good remains. The melody of the song is light, upbeat, and cheerful, reflecting the warmth and sweetness of the lyrics. Overall, the song seems to celebrate the simple pleasures of life and the joy of nature.

The lyrics of the song are an allegory of life and the way it should be taken: as it is, with sweetness and lightness. The lyrics seem to suggest that life, like sugarcane, is a mixture of good and bad. But just as the juice from the sugarcane can be fermented and transformed into something sweet and enjoyable, people can also take the bitter with the sweet and move on with joy and hope. The song teaches that the sweetest way to live life is to accept it for what it is and enjoy the simple things, like a cup of guarapo and the company of loved ones.

Line by Line Meaning

Yo tengo un cañaveral
I possess a plantation of sugarcane.

en una zanja de yuca
It is situated in a trench of yucca roots.

y los pollos del central
And the chickens belonging to the sugar mill

dicen que yo soy de azúcar.
They say that I am made of sugar.

Si tomo guarapo por la madrugá
If I drink sugarcane liquor in the early hours

lo bueno se queda, lo malo se va.
The good remains, and the bad departs.

Con esa melcocha tan bien amasá.
With that well-made syrupy substance.

lo bueno se queda, lo malo se va.
The good remains, and the bad departs.

No te vengas dando brocha
Don't come at me acting tough

porque yo no creo en guapos
Because I don't believe in tough guys.

porque si tú eres melcocha
Because if you are syrupy