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MODULE 4

Cantos Locos: Singing Louisiana Spanish Vocabulary

Module 4: Cantos Locos | Louisiana Décima Project
Module 4

Cantos Locos — Singing Louisiana Spanish Vocabulary!

Invent your own verses in the tradition of the Isleño décima. Swap in Louisiana Spanish words, write your own lines — then record your version and submit it.

These verses are sung to the tune of the "Décima de Wila" from Module 3, but with certain lines open for you to swap out. Like in the "Cosas Locas" module, Cantos Locos draws on vocabulary that is distinctly Louisiana Spanish — but you are also free to invent entirely new lines of the song.

Lines highlighted in gold can be changed. Each one comes with suggested substitutions from the Louisiana Spanish glossary below, or you can write your own. When you're happy with your version, record yourself singing it and submit!

▶ Audio placeholder — embed "Cantos Locos" reference recording here (e.g., audio/cantos-locos.mp3)
Louisiana Spanish Vocabulary — use these words to fill in the blanks
pichicuate
water moccasin (cottonmouth snake)
tacuate' / tacuate
opossum(s)
tecolote'
owls
ahuacate
avocado
pinolillo'
chiggers (biting mites)
lacran
scorpion
la monte
the swamp / the woods
la basura
the trash / the rubbish
Tenochtitlán
ancient Aztec capital (now Mexico City)
dici'
dice — says / said (Isleño form)
bichuela'
habichuelas, frijoles — beans
chalán
barge / flatboat
1
Verso 1 — Pichicuate en la Louisian'
Build your verse — swap the highlighted lines, or write your own
Verso 1 Sung to "Décima de Wila"
Cantamos de 
en la Louisian'
le(s) gusta(n) mucho 
Your verse
Cantamos de Pichicuate en la Louisian' le(s) gusta(n) mucho ahuacate y tiene casa en Tenochtitlán!
2
Verso 2 — Había mucho' tecolote'
Build your second verse
Verso 2 Sung to "Décima de Wila"
Había mucho' 
Venían a dici' ""
Your verse
Había mucho' tecolote' Venían a dici' "¡Holá!" ¡Pero no se ven por las nubes por allí y por acá!
3
¡Grabe y envíe su versión!
Record yourself singing your verses — then submit
🎵 Tune reminder: Sing both verses to the melody of the "Décima de Wila." Use the reference recording below if you need a refresher.
Reference melody:
Your lyrics — for reference while you sing
Verso 1
Verso 2
Your recording
0:00
No recordings yet — press Record to start.

Copy your finished verses below, download your best take, then attach it to the email and send both together.

⬇ Download your recording Record a take first to enable download

Learn More

Explore the songs, archives, and commentary that inspired these verses — all part of the Louisiana Décima Project's ongoing effort to preserve Isleño Spanish.

Module 3 — Décima de Wila Module 1 — Casa de Cosas Locas louisianaspanish.net