Culture, Santa Cruz

New book immortalizes the life of Carlos Rodríguez, a musician from Santa Cruz

Esta publicación también está disponible en: Español
Translator: Arianna Hernández

Friends and family of Carlos Rodríguez Santana, a singer-songwriter from Santa Cruz, met in Diriá of Santa Cruz to remember the life of the artist and celebrate a new milestone: the publication of the book “Caliche, su vida y su legado” (Caliche: His Life and Legacy), by writer and journalist Hernán Gutiérrez.

Caliche, as Carlos Rodríguez Santana (1956-1997) was known, was a musician from Santa Cruz with great sensitivity who revolutionized the way of writing and composing songs in the province. He died 28 years ago in a traffic accident when he was returning from a vigil against open-pit mining in Abangares organized by the pastoral of Liberia.

Convinced that the story of the musician, and his good friend, should be preserved, Gutiérrez began an investigation into Caliche’s life in 2017, interviewing nearly 60 friends, family members and musicians, in addition to recovering color photographs and 47 original songs by Caliche.

A Guardian of Ordinary People

Whether he was aware of it or not, Caliche revolutionized Guanacastecan music with his lyrics about social issues and environmental protection back in the 80s.

Y los grandes espaveles

centinelas de estos bosques

a golpe de hacha cayeron

y nacieron los potreros

Translation: And the great wild cashew trees

sentinels of these forests

fell with the blow of an axe

and the pastures were born

Gutiérrez believes that many people have heard Carlos Rodríguez Santana’s music, but haven’t heard about the details of his life as a person, as a musician or as a father; nor of his role as an environmentalist and his fight to create Las Baulas Marine Park or Diriá National Park.

“Caliche was a singer-songwriter committed to what he thought. Sometimes it wasn’t clear whether he was an environmental activist, a fighter in defense of animals and forests, who also composed, or whether he was simply a singer-songwriter sensitive to environmental issues,” explained the author.

Caliche’s most famous songs include Herencia (Inheritance), Fiestas de mi tierra (My Land’s Festivals), and Descuajaron la montaña (They Cleared the Mountain).

His compatibility with struggles also extended to themes such as social justice and the value of rural and agricultural culture.

“Carlos was a great defender of justice. He advocated for the equality of people and all that social part that in other places can be called protest. It seems to me that he was a composer who didn’t just stay on the outside of things, but delved into the world of rural farmers and in the 80s, well, it wasn’t so valued,” Gutiérrez commented.

2022 - AGOSTO - Musica Carlos Rodriguez Santana Caliche - Hernan Gutierrez-3

Caliche with a young Guadalupe Urbina at a tamale party in the yard of a house in Barrio Santa Cecilia.Photo: Courtesy: Hernan Gutierrez

The book also collects the words of several people linked to music and research who reflect on Caliche’s legacy. Guanacastecan singer-songwriter Guadalupe Urbina explains that Carlos’ music honored deep lifestyles and concepts of ordinary people, but she doesn’t leave out her criticism of common places that she shares with much of Guanacaste’s music, which is predominated by the male presence “that flows between the bull, the horse and the women.”

Tatiana Angulo, one of the people who were close to Caliche, remembers him as an older brother. A simple and humble person who thought about nature and fought for what he believed in. Caliche would come to have lunch at the house of his uncles, who had welcomed him as one more son, and would talk to him during lunch when he returned from high school.

“I would love for this book to make these generations aware of what Carlos really had as a goal or wanted at some point, to fight for this society, this Guanacaste, for our Santa Cruz,” she said.

The amphitheater in Bernabela Ramos Park, in Santa Cruz, bears Caliche’s name as a way of paying tribute to his artistic legacy. For Hernán Gutiérrez, this book is one more effort to keep Caliche’s memory alive for the next generations.

Where to buy the book?

  • In Santa Cruz’s park during Cultural Week (from January 5th to 12th) and the National Typical Fiestas (from January 14th to 19th)
  • At the Nacascolo bookstore in Santa Cruz
  • Via WhatsApp at 8835-3496, where you can coordinate shipping to anywhere in the country
  • For coastal residents, especially in Villarreal, Santa Rosa and Tamarindo, contact Karla Rodríguez, Caliche’s daughter, by phone at 7266-9495.

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