Spanish through Song - La cumbia del mole (all levels)

Music is a great way to approach language learning, as it can be a back door to your brain. As well as being a good way to learn new vocabulary, music carries culture, and in this case, more than one. Mexican-American singer, Lila Downs, sings about MOLE, the thick, brown, spicy Mexican sauce. Mole is concocted by grinding together lots of ingredients - so it's apt that this song about a very Mexican sauce is deliciously mixed with a Colombian musical style, cumbia.

Lila Downs, Latin Folk, Alternative Latin

This post is dedicated to friend and ex-student, Sandie Hernández, who passed away unexpectedly in November, 2016. Sandie came to classes at El Patio between 2004 and 2008. She was half-Mexican and a passionate cook, and often delighted her class with samples of her healthy, colourful Mexican dishes.

Cover of the album, La cantina: Entre copa y copa (2006)

Lila has been described as "a Mexican-American Laurie Anderson or if Frida Kahlo were a musician instead of a visual artist" (Chris Nickson, allmusic.com).

Her mother is indigenous Mixteca from Oaxaca (Mexico), and her father, who listened to jazz and opera is from the US. Accordingly her music is impassioned by indigenous Mexican traditions and identity, yet her chicano life has allowed her to bring in other musical styles. Graced with a powerful voice and a wide vocal range, she sings traditional songs and her own compositions in English, Spanish and various indigenous Mexican languages – Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec and Nahuatl.

Thus difficult to categorise, Lila Downs describes her music as roots, based on Mexican traditions, pulling in styles from Mexican ranchera or mariachi to hip hop to klezmer, jazz or cumbia (look for her rock-hip-hop-klezmer-cumbia version of La cucaracha). Her themes are civil rights, justice, human rights, social commentary with a commitment to the indigenous cultures of Mexico.

La cumbia del mole

Written by Downs, and recorded in Spanish as well as English, La cumbia del mole combines several cultural ingredients, reflecting the mole itself: the indigenous Mexican tradition of the preparation of mole using a Tex-Mex-Andean melody, delivered through the lens of a Colombian cumbia rhythm.

Here's the song - La cumbia del mole (2006)

Salsa de mole

One of Mexico's emblematic dishes, mole is a thick sauce that is generally served over meat (mostly chicken).

Mole originated from the southern part of Mexico and is a mixture of chiles, nuts, seeds, and fruit or vegetables. The famous mole poblano (from the town of Puebla) contains chocolate, which was later introduced as an ingredient to the sauce.

A decent mole has many ingredients, sometimes 20 to 30. Time and labour are needed; ingredients need to be roasted and ground, and the resulting mixture simmered until thick and strong. There are many mole recipes from different regions, and even families claim specific recipes, passed through generations.

The word mole comes from the Mexican indigenous language Nahuatl (Aztec) word, molli (sauce or mixture). Oddly enough, the Spanish word moler (to grind) seems to make sense here – note in the lyrics, the word molendera, for person who grinds (f, molendero for male).

Here are the names of a few moles: mole negro, rojo, verde, colorado, de almendra, amarillo, chichilo, coloradito, manchamanteles (tablecloth-stainer), ranchero, amarillito. It is said that Oaxaca alone has 6 moles.

PS: The word guacamole is Nahuatl in origin (ahuacamolli), deriving from the words ahuacatl (Spanish, aguacate) and molli.

Pine nut mole for sale at the Feria de Mole in San Pedro Atocpan, DF, photo: Alejandro Linares Garcia, Creative Commons

Cumbia

Cumbia was born as dance music on the Caribbean coast of Colombia in the late 1600s in an area populated with indigenous groups as well as descendants of African slaves. Despite its emergence in marginalised communities, it spread across many cultures and social classes in the late 20th century, coming to represent Colombia’s national popular music identity.

Cumbia originally brought together African, Indigenous and European musical elements:

Africa provided the percussion; the tambora (bass drum), tambor alegre (happy drum) and the llamador (calling drum), with highlights from the maracas and guaches.

Indigenous elements are shown through the large gaitas (flutes); the gaita macho (male flute) for harmonic and rhythmic support and gaita hembra (female flute) for melodies.

European influences came with the use of guitars and have also touched the melodies, choreography and costumes.

Today cumbia is played with any combination of instruments and has worked its way into other musical styles. Here are some: Peruvian cumbia, Andean cumbia, Cumbia villera (Arg), Chilean cumbia rock, Technocumbia, Nu-cumbia (with influences of Dancehall, Electronica, Hip Hop).

El Patio former teacher Jorge Leiva is one of Melbourne's best enthusiasts of cumbia – read his blog.

The lyrics - la letra (foods in bold)

Cuentan que en Oaxaca se toma el mezcal con café
Cuentan que en Oaxaca se toma el mezcal con café
Dicen que la hierba le cura la mala fé
Dicen que la hierba le cura la mala fé

A mí me gusta el mole que Soledad me va a moler
A mí me gusta el mole que Soledad me va a moler

Mi querida Soledad
Me va a guisar un molito
Por el cielo de Monte Albán
De noche sueño contigo
Mi querida Soledad
Me va a guisar un molito
Por el cielo de Monte Albán
De noche sueño contigo

Se muele con cacahuate
Se muele también el pan
Se muele la almendra seca
Se muele el chile y también la sal
Bis
Se muele ese chocolate
Se muele la canela
Se muele pimienta y clavo
Se muele la molendera

Cuentan que en Oaxaca con agua es el chocolate
Cuentan que en Oaxaca con agua es el chocolate
Dicen que en la fiesta torito se ha de quemar
Dicen que en la fiesta torito se ha de quemar
Para el que haga su manda por la pasión de Soledad
Para el que haga su manda por la pasión de Soledad

They say that in Oaxaca mezcal is drunk with coffee
They say that in Oaxaca mezcal is drunk with coffee
They say that herb can cure wickedness
They say that herb can cure wickedness

I like the mole that Soledad is going to grind for me
I like the mole that Soledad is going to grind for me

My dear Soledad
Is going to cook a molito for me
Under the skies of Monte Albán
At night I dream about you
My dear Soledad
Is going to cook a molito for me
Under the skies of Monte Albán
At night I dream about you

It is ground with peanuts
Bread is also ground
Dried almonds are ground
Chilli is ground and also salt
Repeat
Chocolate is ground
Cinnamon is ground
Pepper and cloves are ground
The molendera grinds

They say that in Oaxaca chocolate is made with water
They say that in Oaxaca chocolate is made with water
They say that at the party, a bull will be burnt
They say that at the party, a bull will be burnt
As an offering to Soledad's passion
As an offering to Soledad's passion

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Toni Edwards

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