Corrido History

Since the beginning of time, history has been passed over from generation to generation through oral history. Whether it be through speech or song, family or personal history has been able to travel through time in order to not only entertain others, but also to convey information about a specific event from the perspective of those who participated in or lived through the time that these events occurred. Mexico is the origin for a specific genre of song that does just that: the corrido. Often about oppression, history, and daily life, “corridos are deeply ingrained in Mexican and Chicano culture, and are a standard form of marking major events in both public and daily life” (Fernández & Holscher 163). These Spanish ballads, a hybrid musical
The use of this traditional Mexican ballad dates back to the early 1500s were it is likely that the Andalusian people of Southern Spain brought over their form of story telling song known as romantic verses. Fast-forward to the early 1900s and corridos began to be used as news bulletins by musicians that traveled around the country. They would travel to different cities and begin to sing about any event that would impact the public’s sentiments towards various topics that included anything ranging from assassinations and revolutions to immigration and shootouts. In a sense, these musicians were mobile databases for an influx of both myths and history for areas of rural Mexico that are not often served by mainstream newspapers. Corridos went on to tell more recent stories that impact both the Mexican and American population in the Chicano movement that was led by Cesar Chavez. The song El Corrido de César Chávez by Los Pinguinos del Norte highlights the efforts of the American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist in his struggle to gain support for unionism using aggressive yet nonviolent tactics. The ballad reflects the rise of political and ethnic consciousness as well as some of the violence that took place during this tough time in Chicano history. A highlighted event of this stature was featured in a corrido entitled El Vagon de la Muerte that tells the story of eighteen
The traditional ballad that once told of historical events and achievements began to talk about drug trafficking and the lives of those that participated in this illegal activity that would soon become a way of life for the young and ambitious. Narcocorridos became a more common genre of music in the 1970s when groups began to create songs that placed their focus on the things that were wrong with the country they lived in and what the poor and working class turned to in order to continue their well being. This was a recurring theme that groups such as Los Tigres del Norte took on as their main path to fame as they made it a priority to stick with their roots and talk about troubled reality that most Mexicans faced. While Mexican groups during this time began to go away from speaking from the perspective of the working class and began moving toward the ranchera and love-song style, Los Tigres del Norte did just the opposite. Rather than trying to forget their heritage for the new life they found after migrating to San Jose, CA, they embraced their Mexican roots and did not attempt to hide any of the harsh realities from their audience. The first song they recorded that spoke of the violence they had left south of the border was entitled Contrabando y Traición. This song speaks of drug smuggling, money, and stealing a girl from the arms of another man.