Thanks to the World Cup, I’m finally learning the words to the Mexican national anthem

I got up from my living room couch before Mexico’s World Cup game against Czechia when the Telemundo announcer said it was time for the Mexican national anthem.

The public address system at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City played a short introduction to the series. My back is straight. I pressed my right hand to my chest horizontally in the traditional gesture that accompanies the song. Then I repeated the opening words to a song I’ve heard all my life but only started to remember this month:

Mexicanos al grito de guerra/El acero aprestad y bridón/Y retiemble en sus centros la tierra/Al sonoro rugir del cañon

Those brilliant 19th-century lyrics — “Mexicans, with the war cry / Prepare steel and bridle/and may the Earth shake between them/with the sound of the cannon’s roar” — make “The Star-Spangled Banner” seem as anti-war as “Give Peace a Chance.” My heart was still moving as the song continued.

Pimples bloomed on my skin as Mexican coach Javier Aguirre, with a stern face and gray hair fit for a drill sergeant, beamed as he sang. My eyes watered as the camera panned over his players in arms as they shouted the line, “Think, you dear home country! That heaven/gave you a soldier to each son.”

Millions of Mexican Americans like me have stumbled during this World Cup, and in previous years, we may have just sung or remained silent. It’s a loud way to connect with one part of our mixed lives and get into the right frame of mind to focus on El Tri.

Seeing stadiums and bars full of Latinos wearing jerseys from their grandparents’ houses and singing national anthems during this World Cup was an unexpected inspiration. Those few minutes before each game are a reminder of what we are currently facing in the Western Hemisphere, as President Trump stands to break Latin America into submission while persecuting many of us in the country.

In downtown Santa Ana earlier this week, Alicia Rojas sang the Colombian national anthem verbatim before the game against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, even though she was one of the few Colombian fans at Chapter One: The Modern Bistro.

“It reconnects me with my roots, my family and the memories of home,” said Rojas, who was born in Bogotá and moved to the US at age 12. The artist has helped organize against federal immigration raids in Orange County and volunteer for local political races. “Those few minutes remind me that beyond our differences, we share a history, a culture and a love for the world that has made us who we are.”

Latinos are such a famously divided group, that we don’t even like the catch-all label “we.” A 2024 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 52% of Latinos prefer to refer to themselves by the country of their families, while only 30% identify as Hispanic or Latino and only 17% use plain ol’ American.

One thing that can unite us all — and all lovers of liberty, for that matter — is those Latin American national anthems. Many were written in the aftermath of wars for independence. Most of them are a bright, exciting listen, even if you don’t understand Spanish, because their songs reflect the classic Romantic music that was popular at the time of its composition in the 19th century. All call for their countrymen to fight against tyranny.

Listen to this song of your summer:

Paraguay’s national anthem begins with the American people being “oppressed for three centuries” until they rebelled. Ecuador’s remembers how its founding ancestors “shouted a holy voice to the heavens/that beautiful voice of an unbreakable pledge/to conquer that [Spanish] monster of blood.” Colombia similarly doesn’t shy away from how violent its war for independence was, but takes solace in the fact that “in the trenches of pain/good now grows.”

On and on, these songs stir the soul. Argentina: “Hear the sound of broken chains/See fair equality enthroned.” Uruguay: “Dictators: Be afraid!/We will shout ‘Freedom’ in war!” – a boast supported by flutes and violins that make it sound like a Rossini inversion. I especially like how Panama’s national anthem ends with the exhortation to “shovel and pick/work without delay” — a reminder that the work of creating a better society is never done.

There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from the clear calls of other countries. “O Canada” is as powerful as “God Save the King,” while revolutionaries around the world have sung “La Marseillaise” for centuries. And yes: I sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” with all my heart again.

But the message of the US national anthem is not enough for Latinos right now. Hailing survival against an invading force is important, but it’s a mindset too many of us have resigned ourselves to under Trump.

The shared theme of Latin American national anthems is the need to resist oppression and push for a better world through self-sacrifice and bravery. They should be a wake-up call, especially to Latinos, to lead the election charge against Trump in November. We helped put him in the Oval Office in 2024, and we have the power to rid Congress of his GOP staff.

Alas, all those who love freedom play better in song than in real life. Latin America is turning to the right again, electing presidents who promise to hand over ancient powers and rule the region by force, not well.

On the same night that Rojas was gloating about Colombia, he was lamenting that his country had elected Abelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire criminal defense attorney and political savvy who won Trump’s endorsement for his “greatest achievements in life” — including saying that women voters would choose him because of the perceived size of his genitalia.

We must convey the hopes and dreams of Simón Bolívar, Emiliano, Zapata, José Martí and other American heroes who fought for the freedom of their people, who wanted to reject the long reach of colonialism and imperialism and who called for pan-American alliances over eternal wars.

There’s nothing like the pre-match buzz of a World Cup game to reinforce this eternal, universal message.

Mexico dominated Czechia 3-0 and finished first in its group. When El Tri plays again on Tuesday in the first round of the knockout stage, I will stand in the packed First Floor with other fans and many others across the US and sing the Mexican national anthem again.

But I will – a small victory in the long battle for endless freedom.