Mi México de ayer [English translation]

A very lovely indigenous woman

Had her anafre on the sidewalk

Her black and clean griddle

Would fry tamales

In the lard

And gorditas de masa

Cones of powered brown sugar and cinnamon

When I'd leave my house

I would buy a nickel

For school

In the afternoon to the streets

They'd put out tables

Clean ones; old ladies

Would sell us their custard

Rice with milk

In their little pans

Tasty capirotada

Tejocotes in honey

And at night an atole

So mixed

That there isn't one like that anymore

These beautiful things

-For I saw them that way-

Are not in my land anymore

They are here no more

Today my Mexico is beautiful

Like it never was

But when I was a kid

My Mexico had

Something I can't quite express

Its stone paved streets

Were peaceful

Pretty and quiet

The vendors' cries would rip through

The clean air

They sold buckets

Soil for the flowerpots

The molasses, the honey

Live chichicuilotes

Mezcal in maguey leaf

And the fermented maguey juice

When the soldiers passed by

The people would come out

To watch with restlessness

Even the train pulled by little mules

Would stop at the sound of the trumpet

The carriages would stop

Only the faithful old man

That was selling azucarillos

Would improvise that tune of his

"Half a real and one real azucarillos

For the kids that want to buy"

These beautiful things

-For I saw them that way-

Are not in my land anymore

They are here no more

Today my Mexico is beautiful

Like it never was

But when I was a kid

My Mexico had

Something I can't quite express

• Artist:Guadalupe Pineda