In her native town of Rosario, Sinaloa, Beltrán completed her secretarial studies while she participated in many singing competitions. She then moved to Mexico City where she was discovered while working at the radio station XEW, and never went back to Rosario again.
She married Alfredo Leal, a matador and film actor, and with him had two children: María Elena Leal, who is also a singer, and José Leal. She entered the world of film in 1954 starring in El tesoro de la muerte. After participating in dozens of films, most of them musicals, she obtained a role in the telenovela Mi rival with Saby Kamalich. In 1976 and 1984 she hosted the musical shows Noches tapatías and El estudio de Lola Beltrán respectively.
Beltrán is still considered with Lucha Reyes the most successful ranchera-music singer of all time. She was the first ranchera singer to perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. She also performed at the Olympia music hall in Paris, the Tchaikovsky Hall of Moscow and the Conservatory of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in the former Soviet Union.
Soon after recording Disco del Siglo with Lucha Villa and Amalia Mendoza "La Tariácuri" (produced by Juan Gabriel) she died of a massive pulmonary embolism at the Ángeles hospital of Mexico City.
Mi Ciudad
Lola Beltrán Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
en un lago escondido,
es cenzontle que busca
en donde hacer nido,
rehilete que engaña la vista al girar.
Baila al son
del tequila y de su valentía
en un lienzo de fiesta y color.
Mi ciudad es la cuna
de un niño dormido,
en un bosque de espejos
que cuida un castillo,
monumentos de gloria que velan su andar.
Es un sol
con penacho y sarape veteado,
que en las noches se viste de charro
y se pone a cantarle al amor.
Por las tardes con la lluvia
se baña su piel morena
y al desatarse las trenzas
sus ojos tristes se cierran.
Mi ciudad es la cuna...
The song "Mi Ciudad" by Lola Beltrán is an ode to the beauty and vibrancy of the singer's hometown. The opening lines describe the city as a chinampa, which is a floating garden used by the Aztecs to cultivate crops. This symbolizes the city's ingenuity and resourcefulness, as it thrives in the midst of a hidden lake. The cenzontle, or mockingbird, mentioned in the lyrics represents the city's search for a home, just as the bird finds a place to make a nest. The rehilete, or whirligig, that deceives the eye with its spinning motion is a playful metaphor for the city's ability to surprise and delight.
The second verse highlights the city's love of celebration and risk-taking. It speaks of a jinete, or cowboy, who puts his life on the line in a rodeo full of party and color. The city's identity is rooted in the bravery and joy of its people, as seen in the tradition of tequila and music that can be heard throughout the streets. The third verse depicts the city as a child, sleeping in a forest of mirrors and guarded by monuments to its past. The imagery reflects the city's resilience and pride in its heritage. The sun with its feather headdress and sarape, the singer's personification of the city, transforms into a charro at night and sings of love.
Overall, Lola Beltrán's "Mi Ciudad" celebrates the diversity and beauty that can be found in a city's character. From the ingenuity of its architecture to the resilience of its people, a city can inspire joy and pride in those who call it home.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi ciudad es chinampa en un lago escondido, es cenzontle que busca en donde hacer nido, rehilete que engaña la vista al girar.
My city is like a floating garden in a hidden lake, where a mockingbird is searching for a place to build a nest. It is like a spinning top that tricks the eye when spinning.
Baila al son del tequila y de su valentía, es jinete que arriesga la vida en un lienzo de fiesta y color.
My city dances to the rhythm of tequila and bravery, like a rodeo rider risking his life in a colorful and festive arena.
Mi ciudad es la cuna de un niño dormido, en un bosque de espejos que cuida un castillo, monumentos de gloria que velan su andar.
My city is like the cradle of a sleeping child, surrounded by a forest of mirrors protecting a castle, full of monuments of glory that watch over its steps.
Es un sol con penacho y sarape veteado, que en las noches se viste de charro y se pone a cantarle al amor.
It is like a sun wearing a headdress and stripy serape, that at night dresses up like a traditional cowboy and sings to love.
Por las tardes con la lluvia se baña su piel morena y al desatarse las trenzas sus ojos tristes se cierran.
On rainy afternoons, my city's brown skin bathes in the rain, and when the braids come undone, its sad eyes close.
Writer(s): Guadalupe Trigo, Eduardo Salas
Contributed by Isaac H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jose luis Rodriguez leyva
Que música! ❤❤
Antonio Barboza
Tengo que reconocer que el himno de los chilangos es una obra de arte.
Alejandro N.
te falta ver el video completo donde la canta la gran Lola Beltrán!!!