Los Corridos
The corrido is a Mexican musical genre especially popular in central and northern Mexico
in which a story is told. The tradition of sung stories dates back centuries to indigenous
Mexican people, although the contemporary corrido dates back to the 19th century.
Corridos are usually sung by a norteño group of four or more men, dressed as farm
workers, who sing, play music, and sometimes dance. The songs express historical feats,
stories of the Mexican Revolution, the concerns of the Mexican people, stories about drug
trafficking or criticism of the Mexican and American governments.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, corridos played an
essential role in telling stories, providing entertainment, as a means of communication,
political propaganda and value systems. However, during the Mexican Revolution, the
corridos provided information about what was happening: the movements, victories,
failures, exploits, deaths and crimes. They also served to unify farm workers, reinforcing
their group identity and encouraging them to join the Resistance.
With the expansion of other means of communication, corridos lost importance but gained
new significance; He criticized the system, talking about those who emigrate to the United
States, oppressed workers, left-wing activists, drug traffickers, etc. and as an ingredient of
cult folklore. Political parties also use corridos to win votes, and the current president of
Mexico has written corridos about him, inspired by his humble origins.
Narcocorridos are an increasingly popular social and cultural phenomenon in Mexico and
the United States. 90% of Mexicans have heard some narcocorrido and 37% listen to it
frequently. The existence of these songs worries much of Mexico, as it is argued that they
promote drug cartels as heroes, and as so many young people join drug cartels each year,
narcocorridos should be censored. In 2006, the state of Sinaloa banned narcocorridos in
places that sold alcohol, and in 2006 the state of Chihuahua introduced fines and prison
terms for those who spread or carried out narcocorridos.
Narcocorridos began in the 1930s but became popular in the 1970s thanks to groups such
as Los Tigres Del Norte; One of his most famous corridos was “Muerte Anunciada,” about
the death of Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar. Corridos were also written about
Chapo Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel, who accumulated around 12,000,000,000
dollars. Famous for his acts of charity, he was responsible for the violent deaths of
thousands of people in Mexico.
The corrido is a Mexican musical genre especially popular in central and northern Mexico
in which a story is told. The tradition of sung stories dates back centuries to indigenous
Mexican people, although the contemporary corrido dates back to the 19th century.
Corridos are usually sung by a norteño group of four or more men, dressed as farm
workers, who sing, play music, and sometimes dance. The songs express historical feats,
stories of the Mexican Revolution, the concerns of the Mexican people, stories about drug
trafficking or criticism of the Mexican and American governments.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, corridos played an
essential role in telling stories, providing entertainment, as a means of communication,
political propaganda and value systems. However, during the Mexican Revolution, the
corridos provided information about what was happening: the movements, victories,
failures, exploits, deaths and crimes. They also served to unify farm workers, reinforcing
their group identity and encouraging them to join the Resistance.
With the expansion of other means of communication, corridos lost importance but gained
new significance; He criticized the system, talking about those who emigrate to the United
States, oppressed workers, left-wing activists, drug traffickers, etc. and as an ingredient of
cult folklore. Political parties also use corridos to win votes, and the current president of
Mexico has written corridos about him, inspired by his humble origins.
Narcocorridos are an increasingly popular social and cultural phenomenon in Mexico and
the United States. 90% of Mexicans have heard some narcocorrido and 37% listen to it
frequently. The existence of these songs worries much of Mexico, as it is argued that they
promote drug cartels as heroes, and as so many young people join drug cartels each year,
narcocorridos should be censored. In 2006, the state of Sinaloa banned narcocorridos in
places that sold alcohol, and in 2006 the state of Chihuahua introduced fines and prison
terms for those who spread or carried out narcocorridos.
Narcocorridos began in the 1930s but became popular in the 1970s thanks to groups such
as Los Tigres Del Norte; One of his most famous corridos was “Muerte Anunciada,” about
the death of Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar. Corridos were also written about
Chapo Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel, who accumulated around 12,000,000,000
dollars. Famous for his acts of charity, he was responsible for the violent deaths of
thousands of people in Mexico.
