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Back in May of this year we watched Thee Amigos with the kids. In fact we watched it at least twice, maybe three times. I recognized two songs from the party scenes. First was Zacatecas which is in Palmer-Hughes accordion book three. Second was the topic of this post, Jesusita En Chihuahua.

I learned the first section by ear on the accordion and wanted to dig in more. Now it was bugging me because I highly recognized the tune but didn't know the title or where I knew it from besides this movie. I found some Mariachi versions and perhaps the original version on youtube and eventually realized I knew it from Brave Combo, Polkatharsis. Side note: I bought this record from the used section at Remember When Records when I was in Jr. Hi I believe, and I still have it. But in this process I found some other fun versions and learned it's also sometimes known as Jesse Polka, primarily among fiddle string bands. Here's a version by Bob Wills. One of my favorites is this band that appears to be in a restaurant or someone's house.

I worked out the entire song and eventually brought it to the band and we played it a few times this season at our Oktoberfest gigs. Still working on that middle section, it's a doozie.

Even today I found some new versions including Esquivel, and the Donald Duck Cartoon which I remember from my childhood, Three Caballeros.

Playlist of Jesusita En Chihuahua