"Guantanamera" is a Cuban patriotic song that uses a poem by the Cuban poet José Martí for the lyrics. The song is set to the Cuban folk rhythm of guajira, which was established as a style of the flamenco genre when it became popular in Spain in the second half of the 19th century. The word "Guantanamera" means "from Guantánamo," and it is a demonym used to refer to a woman from the Cuban city of Guantanamo. The song was first recorded in 1929 by Joseíto Fernández, a musician from Havana, and it quickly gained immense popularity around the globe, becoming a musical symbol of Cuba. The song consists of improvised sections formed by ten-syllable lines, followed by the chorus "Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera". The chorus contains a wordplay since "guajira" can also mean a peasant woman or a country girl in Cuba. Although the song lyrics are constantly varied and supplemented by different performers, its canonical version is compiled of four different verses by José Martí taken from his 1891 collection titled Versos Sencillos. José Martí is an iconic artist whose work immortalizes the struggle for Cuban independence, which explains why the song based on his poems is considered the unofficial anthem of Cuba. The song has been covered by many artists in different styles and languages, including the American musicians Pete Seeger and The Sandpipers, whose versions catapulted the song to international fame.