On the Shelf

National Anthems: Mexico

The national anthem of our neighbor to the south is entitled “Himno Nacional Mexicano”, translated into English as “Mexican National Anthem”. It is also known by its incipit (the first few words of a text) as “Mexicanos, al grito de guerra” (“Mexicans, as the cry of war”).

On November 12, 1853, President Antonio López de Santa Anna announced a competition to write a national anthem for Mexico, offering a prize for the best poetic composition representing patriotic ideals. Poet Francisco González Bocanegra was not interested in participating in the competition, arguing that writing love poems involved different skills from the ones required to write a national anthem. However, his fiancée, Guadalupe González del Pino, had unbreakable faith in her fiancé’s poetic skills, and constantly prodded him to undertake the effort. Finally, she lured him to a secluded bedroom in her parents’ house, locked him in the room, and refused to let him out until he produced an entry for the competition. After four hours of effort, he secured his freedom by slipping all ten verses of his creation under the door. When his poem was entered in the competition, it won by unanimous vote, and he was announced the winner on February 3, 1854.

A musical composition was chosen at the same time as the lyrics. However, the winning entry was rejected due to aesthetics, prompting a second national contest to find music for the lyrics. This competition was won by Jaime Nunó, the then Catalonian-born band leader for the king of Spain, and also the leader of several Mexican military bands. Nuno’s composition, titled “Dios y Libertad” (“God and Freedom”) was chosen on August 12, 1954. On September 16 (Independence Day) of that same year, the song was officially adopted as Mexico’s national anthem.

Since 1943, by presidential decree, the original ten verses of González’s composition have been reduced to the chorus and the first, fifth, sixth, and tenth stanzas, with the chorus interspersed between each stanza, and performed again at the end.

Here is the official Spanish language version of the chorus and first verse of “Himno Nacional Mexicano” on the left, followed by the English translation of the “Mexican National Anthem”:

Coro:

Mexicanos, al grito de guerra

el acero aprestad y el bridón.

Y retiemble en sus centros la Tierra,

al sonoro rugir del cañón.

Y retiemble en sus centros la Tierra,

al sonoro rugir del cañón.

I

Ciña ¡Oh Patria! tus sienes de oliva

de la paz el arcángel divino,

que en el cielo tu eterno destino

por el dedo de Dios se escribió.

Mas si osare un extraño enemigo

profanar con su planta tu suelo,

piensa ¡oh Patria querida! que el cielo

un soldado en cada hijo te dio.

un soldado en cada hijo te dio.

Chorus:

Mexicans, at the cry of war,

assemble the steel and the bridle,

and the Earth trembles to its core

to the resounding roar of the cannon.

and the Earth trembles to its core

to the resounding roar of the cannon.

I

Encircle Oh Fatherland!, your temples with olives

peace by the divine archangel,

for in heaven your eternal destiny

by the finger of God it was written.

If, however, a foreign enemy would dare

to profane Your ground with their sole,

think, Oh beloved Fatherland!, that Heaven

has given a soldier in every son.

has given a soldier in every son.

If you would like to see the entirety of the national anthem of Mexico, you can find it at https://imagine-mexico.com/the-national-anthem-of-mexico, and can listen to the anthem sung at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8T9g7memUk.