One of the best known Mexican songs, La cucaracha, is of obscure origins. Not only is it hard to trace historically, but it also comes in many bewildering variants. One of them I learned while I was working on my highschool thesis, which concerned Mexican history. It goes as follows:

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
ya no puede caminar,
porque no tiene, porque le falta,
marihuana que fumar.

Marihuana remains a mystery for me after so many years, but I still love this version of the song. A while ago I recited it to Una Jovanovich, who owns one house in Motovun and a few on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, where she went after many unexplainable problems with the hilltown authorities. A few days ago she sent me an image she had found showing a cockroach playing a guitar and puffing at a big joint. “Something especially for you,” she titled the electronic-mail message. She added that she planned a T-shirt with that image. “Hey,” I commented, “make a few!” I added that they are sure to be popular in Motovun. For one, I would surely wear it. After all, La cucaracha is one of my most dear songs from early on. And so is the mysterious insect.

Addendum (July 7, 2023)

Domagoj Kužić from Pazin started working at Hotel Kaštel in Motovun two years ago or so. He drives a van that transports hotel guests from parking lots down the hill, and he also performs all sorts of chores around the hotel. When he is off duty, he plays guitar and sings at the hotel terrace. Most of the time he sings in English, but on occasion he also sings in Italian, French, and Spanish. Many of the hotel guests and tourists that come to the terrace are pleased with his performances. Soon after he started working in the hotel I suggested to him that my favorite Mexican song would be a nice addition to his repertoire. He agreed immediately, but it took him quite a while to start singing it. I kept reminding him, and he kept offering excuses for his slowness. At long last, he sang the marvelous song this morning. Everyone working in the hotel was aware of the event, and they insisted that I should join Domagoj as a supporting voice. Which I gladly did. All those who happened to be at the hotel terrace at the time were delighted by our performance, and there was a cordial applause after it. I can only hope that La cucaracha will become a regular part of Domagoj’s repertoire. And I am sure to join him every so often. After all, this is one of the few songs I do sing to myself every now and then (“Three Songs, Three Languages,” January 7, 2014). The bliss!