La Cucaracha – The Cockroach

Title: La Cucaracha

General Information about the item:

  • verbal lore
  • language: Spanish
  • Country of origin: Puerto Rico
  • Informant: Janet Lopez
  • Date collected: 05/16/2020

Informant Data:

  • Janet Lopez was born in May of 1975 into a Puerto Rican household with four other siblings. Her parents immigrated to the United States in the late ’60s and as a result Janet was born in the Unites States and heavily influenced by Puerto Rican culture. She frequently visited Puerto Rico as a child with her older siblings and was introduced to speaking Spanish at a young age. Janet Lopez now lives in Woodhaven, Queens with her family.

Contextual Data:

  • Janet presumably learned this rhyme in Puerto Rico as child when she encountered a cockroach and was most likely scared. Living in the countryside means dealing with all kinds of creatures and critters. Her older family members made sure to normalize the appearance of said bugs.

Original Text:

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
Ya no puede caminar,
Porque no tiene,
Porque le falta
La patita principal.

Word for word translation:

The cockroach, the cockroach,
Can’t walk anymore,
Because it doesn’t have,
Because it’s missing
Its little front leg.

Free translation:

The cockroach, the cockroach,
Can’t walk anymore,
Because it doesn’t have,
Because it’s missing
Its little front leg.

Informant’s comments:

  • Janet explained that there were all kinds of bugs to be scared of as child in Puerto Rico. She recalls seeing beetles, cockroaches, and millipedes. She figures that one of her older family members told her this rhyme in order to normalize the sight of cockroaches and encourage her not to freak out when coming into contact with one.

Collector’s comments:

  • As someone who has visited Puerto Rico and knows how many cockroaches one can run into, it is logical for children to be introduced to a rhyme that helps give meaning to the appearance of such a terrifying bug.

Collector’s name: Julian Jimenez