References from the song by Calle 13

Latinoamérica

Soy todas las sobras de lo que te robaronThis line refers to the Spanish conquest of the Americas and the gold and “spoils” that were taken back to Spain.

Un pueblo escondido en la cima

Reference to Machu Picchu – an ancient site hidden in the mountains by the Inca people.

El amor en los tiempos del cólera

Reference to a famous novel written by Nobel Prize winning Colombian Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Soy la fotografía de un desaparecido

Reference to the kidnapped and ‘disappeared’ persons from several Latin American Countries that lived under strict ‘totalitarian regime’ governments.

Soy Maradona contra Inglaterra Anotándole dos goles

Reference to two goals made by Argentina soccer player Digeo Maradona during the 1986 World Cup against England – just a month after the Argentina’s defeat against England in the Falklands War. These goals are seen as revenge against England!

La espina dorsal de mi planeta, en mi cordillera

Reference to the Andes Mountains in South America

Soy lo que me enseño mi padre, El que no quiere a su patria no quiere a su madre

This is a reference to a famous Cuban leader named Jose Marti who wrote about and preached the importance of loving your “homeland” and being proud of where you are from and not looking towards Europe as ways of being.

Un trago de pulque para cantar con los coyotes

Reference to the “pulque” alcoholic drink made from maguey sap (same thing tequila is made from). This was a popular drink of the Aztecs prior to the arrival of the Spanish. This link is also a reference to the “coyotes” that help transport illegals over the US border.

Soy las muelas de mi boca mascando cocaReference to the traditional practice of those living in high Altitudes in the Americas that chew coca leaves for medicinal purposes.

Los versos escritos bajo las noches estrelladas

Reference to a line from a poem written by a famous Chilean Poet, Pablo Neruda. So famous he is referred to as “el poeta” – and everyone knows who you are talking about!

Você não pode comprar o vento

Part of the song is in Portuguese as a reminder that more than 200 million people speak this language in South America.

La operación cóndor invadiendo mi nido

A reference to ‘Operation Condor’, a repressive policy established by the US and several Latin American dictatorships in the 1970s to “stomp out” communist supporters and “subversives.”

¡Que viva La América!

The word America is used in this song at the end instead of Latin America. This refers to the fact that for people in the Americas that word represents the whole continent and not only the United States.