Global Hit

Accounts of appearances of Our Lady of Guadalupe were first made on the hill of Tepeyac just outside Mexico City. That was in 1531.

The mountain, the sacred Catholic imagery. The whole story has become iconic, well-known around the globe. Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes once said that even if you’re not a practicing Christian, “you cannot truly be considered a Mexican unless you believe in the Virgin of Guadalupe.”

The Chicago based Mexican-American trio Alla has this song, La Montana Sagrada, the sacred mountain. That’s more a musical state of mind though for this group that bears influences from Mexican music, but also German krautrock, Icelandic electronica, and Brian Wilson and Phil Spector.

The name Alla in spanish simply means “over there.” It’s a phrase used by Mexican-Americans to talk about where their families come from. And Mexicans also often refer to north of the border as “alla.”

That gives you a sense of how the trio thinks of themselves: looking here, and looking “over there” for inspiration in their music.

That’s a track from the CD Es Tiempo by the Chicago-based trio Alla.