A la puerta del cielo
At the Gates of Heaven

This Basque lullaby is said to be from the 16th century and was most probably brought to New Mexico by Basque immigrants coming with the Spanish explorers. The Basques are an ancient culture of people who live in the western Pyrenees Mountains in modern day Spain and France. Although this lullaby was collected from Basque people in New Mexico in 1932, it is sung in Castilian Spanish, rather than the original Basque language. This tune makes for a wonderful Christmas carol when sung as a lullaby for the baby Jesus.