lites
or foreign influences. Thus, they may be considered a way of discovering an
“authentic” Mexican identity, in the sense that it is rooted
in the shared experience of common people.CORRIDOS of the MEXICAN REVOLUTION
Folk Songs and the Popular Creation of a Mexican Identity
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Click here to listen to Nuevo Corrido de Madero, an example of a corrido that chronicles some events from the beginning of the Mexican Revolution (works on Windows Media Player). Click here for lyrics in Spanish and English. |
This
webpage project analyzes the role corridos of the Mexican Revolution played in
reflecting and shaping Mexican identity. Since corridos are folk music, they
reflect popular sentiment, rather than the imposition of cultural attributes
from upper class elites
or foreign influences. Thus, they may be considered a way of discovering an
“authentic” Mexican identity, in the sense that it is rooted
in the shared experience of common people.
Corridos about Pancho Villa are particularly illustrative for a number of reasons, so they are the centerpiece of this presentation. This particular style of song has been somewhat more common in northern Mexico, where Villa led the Northern Army during the Revolution and established himself as a folk hero. As a result, there are many corridos about Villa to draw from. His life contains the mystery and martyrdom that assure a mythic status in history, and make it possible to attach idealistic qualities to his character that reflect popular conceptions of Mexican identity. No small part of this is a result of his reputation as a bandit and his defiance of American intervention during the Mexican Revolution.
Click on any of the links below for more about Corridos, Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution, and what it all means for the sense of Mexican identity as it exists today.
