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
Mi Chiquita
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tan negra como é
no la cambio por ninguna,
por ninguna otra mujé.
Ella canta, baila, cose,
y sobre too,
caballero, cómo camina.
Cuando la vienen a buscá,
pa comé, pa bailá,
ella me tiene que llevá o traé.
Ella me dice, mi santo,
tú no me puede dejá,
buscamé, buscamé,
buscamé pa gozá.
The lyrics of "Mi Chiquita" by Inti-Illimani revolve around the singer's love and admiration for his "chiquita", his small and dark-skinned woman. He proclaims his loyalty to her and states that he wouldn't trade her for any other woman. The singer also admires her many talents, stating that she can sing, dance, and sew, and that her walk is elegant and alluring. Despite her many suitors who come to court her, the singer is the only one who can take her to these events.
The chorus of the song features the woman affectionately calling the singer "mi santo" (my saint) and pleading for him not to leave her. She begs him to search for her, to find her, so they can enjoy their time together. This song exudes a feeling of love, devotion, and pride for one's partner, who is often overlooked by others. It celebrates the simple joys and talents of a woman, demonstrating the singer's deep love for her.
Line by Line Meaning
La chiquita que yo tengo
The little one that I have
tan negra como é
as black as she is
no la cambio por ninguna,
I wouldn't trade her for anyone
por ninguna otra mujé.
for no other woman.
Ella canta, baila, cose,
She sings, dances, sews,
y sobre too,
and above all,
caballero, cómo camina.
gentleman, how she walks.
Cuando la vienen a buscá,
When they come to look for her,
pa comé, pa bailá,
to eat, to dance,
ella me tiene que llevá o traé.
she has to take me or bring me.
Ella me dice, mi santo,
She tells me, my saint,
tú no me puede dejá,
you can't leave me,
buscamé, buscamé,
look for me, look for me,
buscamé pa gozá.
look for me to enjoy.
Contributed by Ellie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Carlesius
Si, es nuestra tercera raíz,
y a muchos nos delata
incluso nuestra nariz.
Desde estas lineas
mi homenaje a nuestro abuelo Max,
nieto de esclavos negros peruanos,
nacido en Iquique, a los 12 años se vino a Valparaíso.
Autodidacta, con muchísimo esfuerzo llegó a alcanzar
el grado de Ingeniero Inspector de la Marina Mercante
y en los años 60 fue el ingeniero jefe de el dique de Valparaíso.
Nosotros, sus descendientes, heredamos sus neuronas,
lo que nos ha permitido a algunos desarrollar
brillantes carreras académicas,
como mi hermano Max en Alemania
y mi hija Xena en Suiza.
Bruno Borsari
Poesia y harmonia al mismo tiempo. Gracias maestros Inti.
Juan Fran Ovalle
Simplemente Maravilloso!... cierro mis ojos y escucho este tema genial de fondo... viva Inti Illimani!
alonso lecamada
Gloria con la musicaa, intillimani ayer, hoy y siempre Viva Inti illimani
Tania Martinez
¡Empezando el 2020 disfrutando de este ritmo maravilloso!!!
ver mil
Me encanta!!!!
samuel ibarra covarrubias
Extraordinaria canción, fusiona ritmos afroperuanos, landós festejos algo de columbias en fin, una delicia morena que homenajea a nuestra mujer latinoamericana.
RONALD HUIDOBRO
Grandes canciones con muy buenos ritmos y letras, he tenido la suerte de verlos en vivo y es un espectáculo maravilloso, ojalá tengamos Inti para muchos años más.
Maricela Marquez
simplemente hermosa gracias ! amor me encanta la amo !!
Tania Martinez
En diciembre 7 del 2020 y todavía disfrutando esta maravillosa canción.
¡INTI ILLIMANI ESPECTACULAR GRUPO!!!
Maximo Islas
Todo lo que hace Inti Illimani...lo hace bién.simplemente genial..esto enriquese el espirtu.