Illapu are a Chilean

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and Andean musical ensemble that was formed in 1971 in

Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. After the Spanish American wars ...

, in northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, by the brothers José Miguel, Jaime, Andrés and Roberto Márquez Bugueño. A later addition to the group was Osvaldo Torres.

Story

Illapu was formed in 1971 in the northern Chilean city of

. Their name comes from the

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

word meaning "Lightning Bolt". That same year they performed in the ''Festival del Salitre'' ("Saltpeter Festival") in María Elena (a mining precinct) and won the festival's prize after performing

Quilapayún Quilapayún () are a folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential ambassadors of the ''Nueva Canción Chilena'' movement and genre. Formed during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with the revolution th ...

's "La Muralla". They were sharply criticized by the organiser of the musical event,

Patricio Manns Iván Patricio Eugenio Manns de Folliot (3 August 1937 – 25 September 2021) was a Chilean singer, composer, author, poet, novelist, essayist, play writer and journalist. He is known for his 1965 song " Arriba en la Cordillera". Life and car ...

, for interpreting someone else's composition. That same year Pato Valdivia joined the ensemble. In 1972 they moved to

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

seeking more performance and recording opportunities. They recorded their first album, ''Música Andina'', for the label DICAP. Shortly afterwards they won a prize at the ''Norte Andino Festival'' ("Andean North Festival") in Calama interpreting "Dale Mañungo", composed by the songwriter Nano Acevedo. In 1973 they performed for the first time at the prestigious ''Festival Internacional de la Canción de

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...

'' music festival. Their novel musical approach and

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

on stage gained them the recognition from music critics and praise from the general public. At this stage they began to be considered a new element in the ''Nueva Canción Chilena'' ("New Chilean Song") movement. The resources allocated to the arts and culture under the Popular Unity government of

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (, , ; 26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the fir ...

also allowed Illapu to fully develop their artistic potential. In 1981, because of the repression under the

Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean Captain general#Chile, general who ruled Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990), Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Gover ...

regime, they were forced into exile - going first to France and later Mexico City. In 1988, due to the improved political climate, they returned to Chile. Their 1993 album ''En Estos Días'', which contained the hit single "Lejos del Amor", won 7 platinum records.

Discography

* ''Música Andina'' (1972) * ''Chungará'' (1975) * ''Despedida del pueblo'' (1976) * ''Raza Brava'' (1977) * ''Canto vivo'' (1978) * ''Grito de la raza'' (1979) * ''Theatre de la Ville'' (1980) * ''El canto de Illapu'' (1981) * ''Y es nuestra'' (1983) * ''

De libertad y amor ''De Libertad y Amor'' (Of Freedom and Love) was a music album released by the Chilean folk group Illapu in exile in France in 1984. Track listing #”De libertad y amor”/''Of Freedom and Love''/ (D. Torres - Roberto Márquez) - 3:27 #”Pob ...

'' (1984) * ''Para seguir viviendo'' (1986) * ''Divagaciones'' (1988) * ''En vivo: Parque La Bandera'' (1988) * ''Vuelvo amor... vuelvo vida'' (1991) * ''En estos días'' (1993) * ''De sueños y esperanzas'' (1994) * ''Sereno'' (1994 or 95) * ''Multitudes'' (1995) * ''Morena esperanza'' (1998) * ''Momentos vividos'' (2000) * ''Antología 1971-1982'' (2001) * ''Illapu'' (2002) * ''Vivir es mucho mas'' (2006) * ''Vivo'' (2008) * ''Con Sentido y Razón'' (2014) * ''Antología Viva'' (2016)

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1971 Chilean folk musical groups Nueva canción musicians Andean music