
Lyrics - Spanish
(Mexican folk song)
Doña Blanca está cubierta
con pilares de oro y plata.
Romperemos un pilar
para ver a Doña Blanca.
¿Quién es ese jicotillo
que anda en pos de Doña Blanca?
Yo soy ese jicotillo que anda
en pos de Doña Blanca.
English Translation - Mrs. White
Mrs. White is covered
with gold and silver pillars.
We will break a pillar
to see Mrs. White.
Who is that bumblebee
Who goes after Mrs. White?
I am that bumblebee that walks
in pursuit of Mrs. White.
Game
- Students join hands in a circle around one student “It,” and another student “Jicotillo (Bumblebee)” stands outside of the circle.
- Students sing both verses. The Jicotillo (Bumblebee) says:
“¡Yo soy ese jicotillo que anda en busca de Doña Blanca!” “I am the Bumblebee who is looking for Mrs. White!” - Then the Jicotillo (Bumblebee) asks: “¿Está ahí Doña Blanca?” “Is Mrs. White there?”
The students answer, “No, fue a…” “No, she went to… (they name a location: the store, to work, to church, outside, etc.) - The Jicotillo continues to ask, and the students continue to give answers until they finally say, “Yes!”
- Then the Jicotillo points to two of the students’ joined hands and asks, “¿De qué es este pilar?” “What is this pillar made of?”
- The students answer, “de oro,” “gold.”
- The Jicotillo points to another two students’ joined hands and asks, “¿Y éste?” “And this?”
- The students answer, “de plata,” “silver.”
- The Jicotillo points to another two students’ joined hands and asks, “¿Y éste?” “And this?”
- The students answer, “de madera,” “wood.”
- Another answer can be: “de vidrio,” “glass”
- When the students answer “de papel,” “paper”, the Jicotillo breaks the connection of the joined hands and tries to run inside the circle to catch Doña Blanca (Mrs. White), who runs away. When Jicotillo tags Doña Blanca, she becomes the new Jicotillo. The former Jicotillo joins the circle, and a new Doña Blanca is chosen.
Variations:
(1) The chase: Doña Blanca runs outside the circle and must make it one time around the outside of the circle. If she makes it around once and back into the center again, she is safe. (At this point, the same two students can play again in their same roles, or two new students can be chosen.)
(2) The other students can try to keep Jicotillo from chasing Doña Blanca by putting their joined hands in the way so he can’t follow her.
See also
- Country: Mexico
- Activities: circle singing games
- Meter: 3 / duple & triple meter
- Scale: major
YouTube
- Song with chords (PDF)
- MIDI file
- Listen to the song

