Anthem · 1854 · Americas
Mexican National Anthem
Himno Nacional Mexicano
Mexico's national anthem: the words won a contest in 1854 and the music was chosen the same year.
- Words
- Francisco González Bocanegra
- Music
- Jaime Nunó
- Culture
- Mexico
- Language
- Spanish
- Place
- Mexico
- Date
- words 1853–1854; music chosen 12 August 1854; adopted 16 September 1854
- Type
- Anthem
- The words
- Public domain (words by Francisco González Bocanegra (1853), music by Jaime Nunó (1854), both published before 1923)
The story
At the time the anthem was written, Mexico was still feeling the effects of its bitter defeat in the Mexican–American War, in which it had ceded more than half of its territory to the United States, and the country was demoralised and divided. On 12 November 1853 President Antonio López de Santa Anna announced a competition for a national anthem, with a prize for the best poem of patriotic ideals. The poet Francisco González Bocanegra at first refused to enter, saying that writing love poems needed very different skills. According to the story told of it, his fiancée, Guadalupe González del Pino, lured him into a bedroom of her parents' house, locked him in, and would not let him out until he had written an entry. Pictures of events in Mexican history in the room helped to inspire him, and after four hours he slid all ten stanzas under the door. He won the competition by unanimous vote, and his victory was announced in the Official Journal of the Federation on 3 February 1854.
A musical setting was chosen at the same time. The winner, Juan Bottesini, was rejected because his entry was disliked, and a second contest was held. It was won on 12 August 1854 by Jaime Nunó, a Catalan-born band leader whom Santa Anna had met in Cuba and invited to Mexico to direct its military bands; his music was titled "Dios y libertad" ("God and Freedom"). The song was adopted as the national anthem on Independence Day, 16 September 1854. Its first performance, at the Santa Anna Theatre, was directed by Bottesini and sung by the soprano Claudia Florenti and the tenor Lorenzo Salvi.
The anthem has ten stanzas and a chorus. Since 1943, by a decree of President Manuel Ávila Camacho, the official anthem consists of the chorus and the first, fifth, sixth and tenth stanzas; at sporting events such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup only the chorus and first stanza are sung. Mexican law regulates its use closely: it may not be altered or used for commercial purposes, it must be performed with solemnity, those present stand at attention, and it is taught in schools and played at the start and close of radio and television broadcasting. Performers who have got it wrong in public have been fined. A long-told story that its music was privately owned by a German publisher and later by Nunó and two Americans is not correct: the anthem is in the public domain in the United States, and under Mexican law the state holds moral rights, but not property rights, to the national symbols.
The historian Javier Garciadiego, speaking at the ceremony for the anthem's 150th anniversary in 2004, said that it set aside divisions and strife and encouraged national unity; on that day Mexico City and other parts of the country stopped to sing it together, as did Mexicans abroad. It has been described as one of the symbols of Mexican identity. An archaic line of the first stanza has often been misheard as the name of an enemy, and the misheard word has been used as a personal name and as a nickname for the anthem itself. Since a change to the law on 8 December 2005, the words may be translated into Mexico's Indigenous languages; official translations exist in Chinanteco, Hña Hñu, Mixtec, Maya, Nahuatl and Tenek.
What it says
A call to the people of Mexico to defend the homeland against any foreign enemy, recalling the country's victories in battle and praising those who fight for it. Its mood is martial and solemn, and its theme is a united nation ready to defend itself.
The words
Mexicanos, al grito de guerraMexicans, at the cry of war
El acero aprestad y el bridón,make ready the steel and the steed,
Y retiemble en sus centros la tierraand let the earth tremble to its centres
Al sonoro rugir del cañón.at the sonorous roar of the cannon.
Ciña ¡oh Patria! tus sienes de olivaMay he gird, O Homeland, your brow with olive,
De la paz el arcángel divino,the divine archangel of peace,
Que en el cielo tu eterno destinofor in heaven your eternal destiny
Por el dedo de Dios se escribió;by the finger of God was written;
Mas si osare un extraño enemigoBut if a foreign enemy should dare
Profanar con su planta tu suelo,to profane your soil with his foot,
Piensa ¡oh Patria querida! que el cielothink, O beloved Homeland, that heaven
Un soldado en cada hijo te dió.gave you a soldier in each son.
En sangrientos combates los visteIn bloody combats you saw them,
Por tu amor palpitando sus senos,their breasts beating for love of you,
Arrostrar la metralla serenos,face the grapeshot serenely
Y la muerte ó la gloria buscar.and seek death or glory.
Show all 84 lines
Si el recuerdo de antiguas hazañasIf the memory of ancient deeds
De tus hijos inflama la muerte,inflames your sons' death,
Los laureles del triunfo, tu frentethe laurels of triumph, your brow
Volverán inmortales á ornar.will return immortal to adorn.
Como al golpe del rayo la encinaAs, at the stroke of lightning, the oak
Se derrumba hasta el hondo torrente,crashes down into the deep torrent,
La discordia vencida, impotente,discord, defeated, powerless,
A los pies del arcángel cayó:fell at the archangel's feet:
Ya no más de tus hijos la sangreno more shall the blood of your sons
Se derrame en contienda de hermanos;be spilled in strife of brothers;
Sólo encuentre el acero en tus manoslet him alone find the steel in your hands
Quien tu nombre sagrado insultó.who has insulted your sacred name.
Del guerrero inmortal de ZempoalaOf the immortal warrior of Zempoala
Te defienda la espada terrible,may the terrible sword defend you,
Y sostenga su brazo invencibleand may his invincible arm uphold
Tu sagrado pendón tricolor;your sacred tricolour banner;
Él será del feliz mexicanohe will be, for the happy Mexican,
En la paz y en la guerra el caudillo,in peace and in war the leader,
Porque él supo sus armas de brillobecause he knew how, with brilliance, his arms
Circundar en los campos de honor.to encircle on the fields of honour.
¡Guerra, guerra sin tregua al que intenteWar, war without truce on him who tries
De la patria manchar los blasones!to stain the homeland's coats of arms!
¡Guerra, guerra! los patrios pendonesWar, war! The native banners
En las olas de sangre empapad:soak in the waves of blood:
¡Guerra, guerra! En el monte, en el valleWar, war! On the mountain, in the valley
Los cañones horrísimos truenen,let the most horrid cannons thunder,
Y los ecos sonoros resuenenand let the sonorous echoes resound
Con las voces de ¡Unión! ¡Libertad!with the cries of Union! Liberty!
Antes, Patria, que inermes tus hijosSooner, Homeland, than your sons, unarmed,
Bajo el yugo su cuello dobleguen,should bend their necks beneath the yoke,
Tus campiñas con sangre se rieguen,let your fields be watered with blood,
Sobre sangre se estampe su pie;let their foot be stamped upon blood;
Y tus templos, palacios y torresand let your temples, palaces and towers
Se derrumben con hórrido estruendo,crash down with a horrid din,
Y sus ruinas existan diciendo:and their ruins remain, saying:
De mil héroes la Patria aquí fué.Here was the Homeland of a thousand heroes.
Si á la lid contra hueste enemigaIf to battle against an enemy host
Nos convoca la trompa guerrera,the warlike trumpet calls us,
De Iturbide la sacra banderathe sacred flag of Iturbide,
¡Mexicanos! valientes seguid:Mexicans! follow valiantly:
Y á los fieros bridones les sirvanand for the fierce steeds let
Las vencidas enseñas de alfombra;the vanquished ensigns serve as a carpet;
Los laureles del triunfo dén sombralet the laurels of triumph give shade
A la frente del bravo adalid.to the brow of the brave commander.
Vuelva altivo á los patrios hogaresLet him return proud to the homeland's hearths,
El guerrero á contar su victoria,the warrior, to tell of his victory,
Ostentando las palmas de gloriadisplaying the palms of glory
Que supiera en la lid conquistar:that he knew how to conquer in battle:
Tornaránse sus lauros sangrientoshis bloody laurels will turn
En guirnaldas de mirtos y rosas,into garlands of myrtle and roses,
Que el amor de las hijas y esposasfor the love of daughters and wives
También sabe á los bravos premiar.also knows how to reward the brave.
Y el que al golpe de ardiente metrallaAnd he who, at the blast of burning grapeshot,
De la Patria en las aras sucumba,succumbs on the altars of the Homeland
Obtendrá en recompensa una tumbawill obtain in reward a tomb
Donde brille de gloria la luz:where the light of glory shines:
Y de Yguala la enseña queridaand the beloved ensign of Iguala,
A su espada sangrienta enlazada,bound to his bloody sword,
De laurel inmortal coronada,crowned with immortal laurel,
Formará de su fosa la cruz.will form the cross of his grave.
¡Patria! ¡Patria! tus hijos te juranHomeland! Homeland! Your sons swear to you
Exhalar en tus aras su aliento,to breathe their last breath on your altars,
Si el clarín con su bélico acentoif the bugle with its warlike accent
Los convoca a lidiar con valor:calls them to fight with valour:
¡Para ti las guirnaldas de oliva;For you the garlands of olive!
Un recuerdo para ellos de gloria!For them a memory of glory!
¡Un laurel para ti de victoria;For you a laurel of victory!
Un sepulcro para ellos de honor!For them a tomb of honour!
Original: Francisco González Bocanegra (1853); the full text of 1854. Text from Wikisource; public domain.
The English is the Institute’s own translation, made from the original for this page.
Notes on the translation (6)
- line 1.2: 'bridón' is a bridled horse, a war-horse.
- lines 2.1-2.2: the subject is the archangel: 'may the divine archangel of peace gird your brow with olive'.
- line 5.2: 'De tus hijos inflama la muerte' is obscure; literally 'inflames the death of your sons', usually understood as 'fires your sons to [face] death'.
- line 7.1: the 'immortal warrior of Zempoala' is Antonio López de Santa Anna, president when the anthem was adopted; the stanza was later dropped.
- line 10.3: Iturbide's flag: the Trigarante flag of Agustín de Iturbide's Army of the Three Guarantees; line 12.5, 'Yguala' (Iguala), where his Plan of Iguala was proclaimed (1821).
- lines 5.3-5.4 and 7.7-7.8: kept in the Spanish order; read 'will return, immortal, to adorn your brow' and 'because he knew how to encircle his arms with brilliance on the fields of honour'.
What it inspired
- Official translations into Chinanteco, Hña Hñu, Mixtec, Maya, Nahuatl and Tenek 2005 onwardtranslation (National Institute of Indigenous Languages)
People, places and events
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Himno Nacional Mexicano", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Nacional_Mexicano
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mexican National Anthem. In Songs in History. https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/himno-nacional-mexicano
- MLA
- “Mexican National Anthem.” Songs in History, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/himno-nacional-mexicano. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Mexican National Anthem.” Songs in History. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/himno-nacional-mexicano.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mexican National Anthem’, Songs in History. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/himno-nacional-mexicano (Accessed: ).