Generales

By Natalia Piedrahita Tamayo, Journalist at UdeA Communications Office

Vallenatos often pay homage to nature, drawing inspiration from birdsong, rushing rivers, and the splendor of the natural world. Some focus on the majesty of trees and the vivid colors of flowers, turning them into the core of these musical stories. Through their melodies, coastal Colombian minstrels vividly portray pollination and the courtship rituals of different species. Two UdeA researchers delve into the deep connection between these songs and the memory of nature, celebrating their role as a cornerstone of Colombia’s national sound heritage.

The Campano, or Samán, stands as one of the emblematic trees featured in vallenatos. Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas.

Matilde Lina ranks among Colombia’s most iconic songs. Written by Leandro Díaz and brought to fame in 1969 by Alfredo Gutiérrez, this vallenato celebrates youthful love within a vibrant riverside setting. The lyrics convey the author’s profound bond with nature: At midday, I thought of the woman who fills my dreams. The clear waters of the Tocaimo River gave me the strength to sing. This feeling grew so intense that my heart trembled, and the beautiful song of the turpiales became my companion. This passage vividly captures the lush forests surrounding the Tocaimo and Guatapurí rivers in Cesar, grounding the song in their captivating landscapes.

“It is common to see people sitting on river rocks, singing or playing the accordion, in vallenato music videos. This image reflects a deep bond with nature. Valledupar, the heart of Vallenato, was once a cultural center with only four streets and a river; many composers grew up surrounded by this landscape. While the area changed after 1970, coastal minstrels kept that small-town spirit alive in their songs,” explained Marina Quintero Quintero, psycho-pedagogue, researcher, and professor at the Faculty of Education at the Universidad de Antioquia.

Vallenato originated as a musical genre closely linked to the flow of water sources, particularly the Grande de la Magdalena River, the main tributary of the Colombian Caribbean. Artists, writers, and musicians have long drawn inspiration from the river’s sounds, discovering its rich fauna, flora, and landscapes. These natural elements, shaped by the river’s dynamic flow, have offered them endless themes for their songs, including the vibrant richness of Colombia’s vegetation.

“In the scorching heat, where travel was often by donkey or on foot, it became essential to rest under the shade of a samán tree before continuing the day’s work or journey. Allegories to the bell tree—Samanea saman, known as ‘Samán’ in other regions—are common in vallenatos because its wide leaves symbolize refreshment and rest for those who work the land or with animals,” explained Alvaro Cogollo Pacheco, biologist, and researcher at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, who has written three books on vallenatos and botany.

Vallenato, with its four distinct rhythms—paseo, merengue, son, and puya—has long been associated with literary works that depict the landscape and natural phenomena. It has also inspired renowned writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 alongside composer Rafael Escalona. Three years later, in the epigraph of Love in the Time of Cholera, he wrote, “In advance they go to their places: they already have their crowned goddess,” borrowing the phrase from Leandro Díaz’s song La Diosa Coronada.

“Some Vallenato composers are literate, and in many cases, their exposure to reading led them to poetry and musical Romanticism, both closely tied to the appreciation of nature. These composers, often from the mountains, turn to the river for inspiration. It is why they often appear in photos and music videos, singing or playing the accordion on rocks as the river flows by. In many ways, their songs serve as sung chronicles of nature,” explained Quintero Quintero, the director of Una voz y un acordeón. This radio program aired for over 40 years on the Universidad de Antioquia’s Emisora Cultural.

Odes to the Grande de la Magdalena River and its diverse wildlife

Some songs serve as heartfelt odes to nature, standing out in the vast vallenato tradition. Below is a brief selection of those timeless compositions that continue to resonate with Colombians:

The party of the birds
By Sergio Moya Molina

In this puya—the most dynamic and complex of vallenato rhythms, known for its fast beats and intricate articulation, making it one of the most difficult to perform—an intense love for nature comes to life. The accordion mimics the songs of various birds, such as the Woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros), the Sirirí (Tyrannus melancholicus), and the Guacharaca (Ortalis ruficauda), crafting a vibrant soundscape that celebrates the abundance of the natural world. This composition embodies a deep connection between humanity and nature, illustrating how the composer found inspiration in the birds that inhabit the forest. The melody intertwines the birds’ calls with the river’s flow, imbuing the piece with a distinctive beauty and agility, reflecting the wisdom of life’s enduring traditions.

According to Quintero, “This is perhaps the most difficult vallenato to play and one of the most important hymns of the province, making it a true test of skill at festivals like the Leyenda Vallenata, held annually in Valledupar, Cesar. In this way, the puya is not just a technical challenge, but also a celebration of cultural identity and the deep bond between the music and the landscape that inspires it.”

The sucking man
By José Barros Palomino

This celebrated vallenato juglar, born in El Banco, Magdalena, uses his music to celebrate the fascinating pollination process, focusing on the interaction between the chupaflor (Trochilidae) and flowers. Known for its agility and beauty, this little bird, called the “hummingbird” in other regions, symbolizes the connection between flora and fauna in its habitat. As Cogollo Pacheco explains, “The chupaflor, along with the rooster (Gallus gallus domesticus) and the dove (Columba livia), is one of the most frequently featured birds in vallenato songs. However, the true pioneer of this tradition is Barrios Palomino, who, throughout his life, left an extraordinary legacy by recording over 500 songs, many of which reference the birds of his region.” Palomino’s contributions enrich the Vallenato tradition and reflect the deep respect for the natural world that these musicians hold.

The woodpecker
By Juancho Polo Valencia

Many composers, including Juancho Polo, were farmers or descendants of farmers, growing up immersed in the rhythms of nature and its wildlife. In this song, first featured on the 1970 album 20 Clásicos Vallenato, the composer highlights a bird commonly found in coastal areas. “Art is metonymic; it uses one thing to represent another, transferring its meaning,” Quintero explained. “In this case, the woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) symbolizes loneliness. The composer suggests that the bird mirrors human pain—its solitude and deep sadness push it to break the stick with its beak. The bird’s trills, however, bring comfort to its soul, helping it find a sense of hope.”

Under the stick e’ mango
By Leandro Diaz

The riverside landscape is defined by trees common to the towns of Bolívar, Cesar, Córdoba, La Guajira, Sucre, and Magdalena, with the Mango (Mangifera indica) being a prominent feature in town squares. “At certain times of the year, its fruits fall in abundance, sometimes hitting you in the face as you walk. In Valledupar, it’s a mythical tree, and people even dedicate poems to it. It’s the only tree that mayors, who try to raise the temperature in the squares, leave untouched,” explained Cogollo Pacheco.

For Cogollo Pacheco, vallenato folklore is not just a celebration of the beauty of trees and flowers; the lyrics of these songs explore deeper themes that reflect vital aspects of culture and everyday life. Mentions of wood from various plants reveal the strong bond between music and the natural world. Traditional instruments like the Tambora and Caja are made from materials such as Caracolí (Anacardium excelsum) and Bejuco Melero (Melianthus major), highlighting the role of local resources in musical creation. Among these, the Flying Bank (Gyrocarpus americanus) stands out for its versatility, being the most commonly used wood for crafting instruments, highlighting its importance in the Vallenato tradition.

This bond between music and nature enriches cultural heritage and encourages reflection on sustainability and natural resource preservation. In the end, Vallenato serves as a powerful medium through which a community expresses its deep connection to the environment, turning it into sounds that reflect the vitality of life itself.