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
Vino del mar
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Envuelta en agua azul
la trajo el viento del más allá
Dormida en las
Olas de espuma y sal
Sobre su propia herida mortal
Vino del mar
Con una cicatriz
Trazada por
Un furioso puñal
Que eternizó su indefensión
Vino del mar
Más blanca que la sal
Hacia la oscura arteria de mi amor
Y allí quedó
Muerta en la playa gris
Bajo un fulgor crepuscular
Vino del mar
Más negra que el carbón
Para alumbrar la noche de mi amor
Y allí encendió
Un fuego sin furor
Para entibiar mi corazón
Vino del mar
Y era una estrella azul
Danzando en altas olas de sal
Volviste a mí
Porque me ataste
Al nudo de la eternidad
The song "Vino del mar" by Inti-Illimani speaks about a woman, who was brought by the winds of the beyond wrapped in blue water. She was asleep in the waves of foam and salt, wounded and scarred with a lethal wound, which divided her chest in two. Despite her indefensibility, she was pure, radiant, and beautiful, more white than salt and more black than coal. She was dead, lying on the gray beach, under a crepuscular glow, yet her love, represented by the blue star, had tied the singer to eternity.
The lyrics of the song use the metaphor of the sea, the waves, the foam, and the salt to accentuate the beauty and the purity of the woman. The sea, which is vast and powerful, is also full of contradictions, just like the emotions of the singer, who is mourning the loss of his love. The woman's wound caused by a furious dagger is also an allegory of the singer's wounded heart, as he is forever scarred by the loss of his love. The blue star that ties the singer to eternity can also be interpreted as a metaphor for destiny or true love, which is beyond time and space.
Line by Line Meaning
Vino del mar
The arrival of a mysterious entity from the sea, marking its presence.
Envuelta en agua azul
Wrapped in blue water, suggesting a soft and peaceful arrival.
la trajo el viento del más allá
The sea gave it life and sent it to the shores of the land with a gust of wind coming from far away.
Dormida en las
Olas de espuma y sal
Sobre su propia herida mortal
The entity arrives sound asleep, floating in waves of foam and salt, on a journey that has left it mortally wounded.
Con una cicatriz
Que dividía su pecho en dos
Trazada por
Un furioso puñal
Que eternizó su indefensión
Traces of injury, marked by a vicious knife wound that created a permanent scar, dividing the entity's body in two, leaving it defenseless and vulnerable.
Más blanca que la sal
Hacia la oscura arteria de mi amor
Y allí quedó
Muerta en la playa gris
Bajo un fulgor crepuscular
The entity, initially appearing spotless and pure, moved towards the dark crack of love's artery that had been waiting for it, only to meet its tragic end on the gray and dull beach under the fading light of dusk.
Más negra que el carbón
Para alumbrar la noche de mi amor
Y allí encendió
Un fuego sin furor
Para entibiar mi corazón
The arrival of the entity takes on a different form, this time as a black substance that would light up the night of love with a gentle fire, warming the heart without causing any damage or passion.
Y era una estrella azul
Danzando en altas olas de sal
Volviste a mí
Porque me ataste
Al nudo de la eternidad
The entity, taking on the form of a blue star, dances on the high waves of saltwater, returning to the one who has bound them together in the knot of eternity.
Contributed by Chloe S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fanny
on Hermanochay
Hola, mi padre tenia un grupo de musica andina y cantaba esta cancion. Mi padre hoy ya no está y me hubiera gustado entender la letra, no encuentro traducción por ningún lado, alguien sabe la traducción?