Luna de Xelajú

"Luna de Xelajú" is a very popular Guatemalan waltz, played on marimba or any other instrument or ensemble; it was composed by Paco Pérez.
Xelajú (pronounced shay-lah-HOO) is actually the name used by the Mayans for the Guatemalan city Quetzaltenango.The song was written to Miss Eugenia Cohen, a beautiful Jewish lady who stole the writer's heart, but eventually left him because Eugenia's parents disapproved of the relationship. The rightful heiress of this legacy, lives in Quetzaltenango and Guatemala City to this day.

All of the great marimba bands of Guatemala have played it to great success. Perhaps one of the most popular recent versions is as the first selection of the CD "Valses inolvidables de Guatemala", with the Guatemalan Millennium Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Dieter Lehnhoff.

A fairly notorious rendition by amateur musician Jared Smith was recorded by his brothers and made famous by its use in the "software toy", Jared.

ong Lyrics

Although the marimba is often played alone, the song has lyrics accompanying it.

Luna de Xelajú

Note: Some of the lyrics lose something in translation.