Jesusita en Chihuahua
Encyclopedia
"Jesusita en Chihuahua" is a Mexican
polka
which was written by Quirino Mendoza y Cortés while he was serving as a Lt. Colonel in the Mexican Revolution
and directing the military band in Puebla
.
Its premiere was held on Christmas Day 1916 and it has since been covered by a multitude of artists, under a variety of names. The composition became a trademark of the Mexican Revolution and was Pancho Villa's
favorite musical piece to have his bands play during combat.
The piece centers around soldaderas
; women who accompanied the revolutionaries, tending to their needs and on occasion even taking up arms to participate in combat.
swing
band Cliff Bruner and the Texas Wanderers started playing the piece in 1938 under the "Jessie Polka" name, bringing it great popularity. Cliff Bruner reportedly learned the piece as a child from Mexican farm workers in Beaumont, Texas
. The piece also came to be known by the name "The Cactus Polka" under Lawrence Welk
.
as the mayor
of Chihuahua
who is aided by the tough Jesusita (Susana Guízar). Mendoza's polka is featured in the film.
"Jesusita en Chihuahua" has been featured in many other films including "The Three Caballeros
" (1944), "Anchors Aweigh
" (1945), "This Was Pancho Villa" (1957), "¡Cielito lindo!" (1957), Sueños de oro" (1958), "Quiero ser artista (1958), "La diligencia de la muerte" (1961), "Perdóname mi vida" (1965), and "My Family
" (1995). English
and Spanish
lyrics were written to the piece for the film "Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
" (1946). Another set of English lyrics were written to the piece by Jack Elliott for the film "Old Los Angeles" (1948).
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
which was written by Quirino Mendoza y Cortés while he was serving as a Lt. Colonel in the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
and directing the military band in Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
.
Its premiere was held on Christmas Day 1916 and it has since been covered by a multitude of artists, under a variety of names. The composition became a trademark of the Mexican Revolution and was Pancho Villa's
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
favorite musical piece to have his bands play during combat.
The piece centers around soldaderas
Soldaderas
Soldaderas were female soldiers who went into combat alongside men during the Mexican Revolution, which initially broke out in opposition to the conservative Díaz regime...
; women who accompanied the revolutionaries, tending to their needs and on occasion even taking up arms to participate in combat.
Versions
"Jesusita en Chihuahua" came to be known by some as the "J.C. Polka" for short and overtime this developed into the "Jesse Polka" (or the "Jessie Polka"). TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
band Cliff Bruner and the Texas Wanderers started playing the piece in 1938 under the "Jessie Polka" name, bringing it great popularity. Cliff Bruner reportedly learned the piece as a child from Mexican farm workers in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. The piece also came to be known by the name "The Cactus Polka" under Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
.
Film
A Mexican film titled "Jesusita en Chihuahua" was released in 1942 starring Pedro InfantePedro Infante
José Pedro Infante Cruz , better known as Pedro Infante, is the most famous actor and singer of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and is an idol of the Latinamerican people, together with Jorge Negrete and Javier Solís, who were styled the Tres Gallos Mexicanos . He was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa,...
as the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Chihuahua
Chihuahua
Chihuahua officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chihuahua is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Its capital city is Chihuahua....
who is aided by the tough Jesusita (Susana Guízar). Mendoza's polka is featured in the film.
"Jesusita en Chihuahua" has been featured in many other films including "The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros is a 1944 American animated feature film, produced by Walt Disney and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the United States on February 3, 1945...
" (1944), "Anchors Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh (film)
Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney in which two sailors go on a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, accompanied by music and song, meet an aspiring young singer and try to help her get an audition at MGM...
" (1945), "This Was Pancho Villa" (1957), "¡Cielito lindo!" (1957), Sueños de oro" (1958), "Quiero ser artista (1958), "La diligencia de la muerte" (1961), "Perdóname mi vida" (1965), and "My Family
My Family (film)
My Family is an American drama film directed by Gregory Nava and written by Nava and Anna Thomas. The motion picture stars Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, and others. It also features Jennifer Lopez in her second film role....
" (1995). English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
lyrics were written to the piece for the film "Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy is a 1946 American film directed by Willis Goldbeck starring Mickey Rooney.The film is also known under its American promotional title Uncle Andy Hardy.- Plot summary :...
" (1946). Another set of English lyrics were written to the piece by Jack Elliott for the film "Old Los Angeles" (1948).