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Salvador Meza Lemus

Professor Greg Landau

Musica Latina 80Q

28 May 2014

Roots and Structure of the Mexican Corrido

Traditional corridos are a form of expression, usually singed in the third person, narrating

the contemporary struggles faced by certain groups of people. Corridos’ lyrics often evolve in

order to fit the social and political circumstances of the time. In this research I will first give a

general overview of the historic origins of Corridos, their purpose, and structure. To conduct my

research I will use Ric Alviso’s article, “What is a Corrido? Musical Analysis and Narrative

Function” as my main source. Other minor sources include Tijana Bloomington, specialist in

ethnic music and dance, and her article, “Corrido- History of Mexican Life in Song” and

Professor John McDowell from the Indiana University Bloomington quoted in Alviso’s research.

I will also explore the Corrido’s social and historical context, its musical influences and style,

and I will focus on specific singers and groups such as Los Tigres del Norte and Chalino

Sanchez whom I will compare and contrast. I will also analyze at least one of their songs and

give details about their context and targeted audience. Ultimately, I hope to focus in some of the

traditional corrido structure and the way it has evolved.

Corridos are a form of expression narrating contemporary issues and real life events. Ric

Alviso, professor of World Music and General Education at California State University

Northridge, developed a musical analysis about corridos outlining its structure and traditional

arrangements. According to Alviso, corrido roots can be traced back to Medieval Andalusian
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verses and ballads that were brought by Spanish colonizers in the new world. They were

prominent around the 17th century communicating general injustice, political corruption,

oppression, love affairs, and disasters, among other contemporary socio-political issues (Alviso

60). Some argue that corridos were meant to serve as a news teller for the people that didn’t

know how to read and write while others like John McDowell, professor in the Department of

Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University Bloomington, argue that corridos are a form

of celebration among corrido audiences. And others like Tijana Ilich, specialist in ethnic music

and dance, argue that corridos are of a form of inspiration conveying moral lessons and

promoting a national identity among all Mexicans (Ilich).

Corridos gained popularity during the 1840’s around the time of the Mexican-American

War; after the land was taken and many Mexicans remained on what used to be their territory,

they found relief in singing about the injustice and discrimination faced against them (Ilich).

During the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1917 corridos highlighted the intercultural border

conflict reminding Mexicans about the land that had been taken away from them. During the

Mexican revolution however, there were also many corridos describing popular heroes such as

Pancho Villa, Pacual Orozco, and Emiliano Zapata (Alviso 60). Subsequently, with large-scale

immigration to the U.S. corridos began focusing on the lives of Mexican immigrants and their

struggles on their attempts to cross the border. As immigration increased, the smuggling of drugs

to the other side of the border also became an issue. Narcocorridos were born out of such tales

and have continued to gain popularity today since drug trafficking across the border has

substantially increased (Quintana).

There are many different structures of corridos, however what distinguishes them from

any other type of genre is the story they embody. Like the plena, they can go from minor pueblo
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incidents and community events to major nationwide issues. According to Ilich corrido rhythms

vary from polka, waltz, or march; however, march and polka are used more frequently for

thrilling stories while waltz is more often used for tragic events. Originally, corridos were not

meant to be danced music however they evolved during the 1950’s and 60’s as more of them

were done in a norteño style polka. Professor John McDowell suggests that most traditional

corridos should follow this specific approach, first the singer declares that he will be singing a

corrido, then he begins singing by first giving a brief description of the place where it took place

and the people involved, thirdly the singer introduces the action, and ultimately the despedida

(farewell), which often involves a call for action. Alviso claims that back in the days most

corridos narrated stories about the revolution taking place, fights, bandits, deceptions, murders,

love affairs, bullfighting, political corruption, oppression, mistreatment of farmworkers by their

ranchers, and the injustice faced by Mexican workers in the U.S. (Alviso 60). Even though,

corridos are a form of expression within Mexico, the corrido can be found all over Latin America

in places such as Chile, Nicaragua, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Venezuela.

Many types of genres can sing and interpret corridos. However, the style of music greatly

depends on the musical region it comes from. For example, there is norteño such as Los Tigres

del Norte, duranguense such as AK7, and bands such as La Arrolladora that play different styles

of corridos using different instruments but ultimately telling us a story that we can feel identified

to (Alviso 66). Most of them have been born out of the state of Sinaloa where much of the

traditional origins and stories take place. Originally, corridos were sung as duets making use of

the guitar and instruments such as the accordion, bajo sexto, and string bass. Those corridos in

the triple meter have an accent in the first beat which is usually done by having the guitar incur a

bass note or with drums. According to Alviso, corridos are typically strophic following an
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AAA… or AAB… structure. Binary form corridos nonetheless are structured in the form

AABAAB. The typical and most commonly used rhythm among corridos is the triple meter,

however, the duple meter has recently become popular in styles such as norteño. Alviso’s

research revealed that most traditional corridos were recorded between 1904 and the 1930’s

however, with the debut of radio stations corridos faced a huge transformation. Traditional

corridos used to be 20 verses long; however, in order for them to be aired in the radio, corridistas

had to shrink everything under 4 minutes to allow break for commercials and reducing the

number of verses to 6 (Alviso 71). The dynamics of corrido vary from medium loud, or loud, and

they can be distinguished by either being melodic or harmonic (72).

Today, corridos still reflect on the national political corruption in Mexico, the struggles

and discrimination faced by Mexicans and Americans across the border, and the drug smuggling

happening between both countries. Narcocorridos now are taking over the genre as more singers

are adopting it. Artists like Gerardo Ortiz, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Colmillo Norteño, and

Enigma Norteño to mention a few have been gaining fame. Most Narcocorridos stories describe

illicit activities such as drug trafficking, extortion, murders, and the political corruption being

faced. In an article by the New York Daily News, Deborah Hastings, national writer and

journalists, describes corridos as songs “romanticizing drug lords and beheadings”. The article

primarily focuses on the corrido “Sanguinarios M1” by BuKnas de Culiacan where Manuel

Torres Felix, also referred as “The Crazy One” holds an AK-47 behind his head saying that

whoever crosses his path, especially his enemies, will get their head chopped off. Besides the

violent lyrics, Hastings describes how Narcocorridos are dangerous not only by those who listen

to them but also by the groups that sing them. Sergio Vega, also known as “El Shaka” was shot

in Sinaloa, he was known as the best corrido singer at the time. The cause of his murder is still
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unknown; however Hastings claims that very often there are cartel rivalries and many corrido

artist praise one drug lord over another putting them at risk of death.

One of the most notable Narcocorrido artists was Chalino Sanchez. In an article by

Carlos Quintana titled, “Narcocorrido- Overview of Mexico’s Drug Ballads,” Sanchez is

described as a national legend. He was born in Sinaloa and then escaped to California after

having killed his sisters’ rapist. In California he was made famous and started being recognized

as the leading name in the Narcocorrido industry. He was shot in one of his concerts in Coachella

California and even though he survived, he was killed 3 months later in his hometown.

Following his death, Sanchez became more recognized and the demand for his records grew. The

first corrido he wrote was to mourn his brother’s death and keep his memory alive. His voice

wasn’t very good and even he used to say, “I don’t sing, I bark”. One of his most famous songs

was “Nieves de Enero” which describes a man asking forgiveness from his love. She told him

that when the January snow came by they’ll get married. However, the January snow came and

left and now the flowers of May have come out. He has now gotten weak and winter has come

but she still doesn’t even looks at him. He is tired of waiting for her, time has passed and he

wants them to speak without lies however he still can’t get over her. Compared to Los Tigres del

Norte, Chalino Sanchez speaks more about the rancho life while los Tigres are more urbanized.

In other words, Chalino speaks more about the daily issues while los Tigres focus more about the

major events. Even though Sanchez has already passed away his style and voice are still popular

today.

According to Vicente Mendoza author of “El Romance Español y el Corrido Mexicano”

in Mexico the corrido is defined as an “epic-lyric-narrative genre… based on musical phrases

organized in four parts that tells of events that powerfully move the sensibilities of the masses”
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(Mendoza IX). In other words in order for a corrido to be effective there needs to be some sort of

identification from the audience to the story being told. For example, in the corrido “El Gringo y

el Mexicano” by Los Tigres del Norte we learn about Sipriano y Rosa Maria who leave their

child behind in order to cross the border as wetbacks and live the American dream. They soon

find a job in McAllen Texas. Rosa Maria is described as a young beautiful woman and Sipriano

as a hardworking man. Soon enough, the gringo, owner of the ranch, finds Rosa Maria to be

really pretty and either by fear or threat they became lovers. Someone then tells Sipriano about

the affair of his wife and like a wounded beast he kills them both with a dagger. He kills the

white guy first while Rosa Maria cries in fear that she had done it because he had threatened

them to call immigration on them. Sipriano was 20 years in prison and upon his release he is

welcomed by his son on the other side of the border who tells him that what he had done to his

mom was right and that he would have done the same thing if anyone cheated on him. This

corrido describes a causality that can potentially happen to those Mexican immigrants trying to

live the American dream. It accurately depicts the reality of those who attempt to cross the

border in search of a better future. As for Rosa Maria, she serves as a symbol that not everything

always goes as planned but that ultimately you can always find relief by going back to your

country and being reunited with your family.

Another great example that truly depicts the reality Mexico faces nationwide is the

Corrido of “La Granja” also by Los Tigres del Norte. In the story, we can assume that “La

Granja” (the farm) is Mexico, and within its boundaries we can find the fierce female dog that

represents Mexican authorities under the control of the President; we also have the fox which

characterizes former Mexican president Vicente Fox, the rope which tides the dog represents the

money used to buy the Mexican government. The story goes that if the dog is tied up then you
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shouldn’t untie her because then you can regret it. However, the fox goes and breaks the silence

prompting the dog loose causing a big revolt. The pigs, representing government politicians, help

and protect the dog because together they can take advantage of the farmer, representing the

people, who works and works making him no trust them anymore. A hawk fell on the farm, and

the little chicks, the media, commented on it, deciding whether it fell by itself or if the winds

brought him down. This depicts the insecurity many Mexicans face nowadays because the

government isn’t really protecting the people. Everyone in the farm feels afraid. There is a rabbit

that dies inside a cell, which represents the drug trafficking, and daily there are a lot of deaths in

and around the farm because there isn’t enough alfalfa like there used to be. The resources that

belong to the people are now only kept by the government leaving the citizens in poverty. There

is a fence at the edge of the farm that doesn’t allow the farmer to cross because the dog wants to

keep him in so that he can keep working for her and the pigs. The fence represent the Mexican-

American border and The story ends with a call for action telling the audience that the dog

should get tied back because it has already caused too much trouble. It’s a call for all Mexicans

to bring back their country and make it so that citizens have the power over what rightfully

belongs to them. It also shows how drug trafficking should stop because it kills lots of innocent

people on a daily basis.

Corridos haven’t dramatically changed; their structure, style, and purpose have remained

nearly fixed. They still focus on the contemporary issues faced by certain groups of people

highlighting the discrimination, oppression, corruption and general injustice against them. One

can say that the most radical change has been recently with the coming out of corridos alterados

such as the “Sanguinarios M1” which romanticizes violence and promotes the Mexican cartels.
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However, the main key hasn’t changed which is that of telling its audience a story of the events

going on. Corridos serve as a form of identity by influencing millions of people around the

world; however such influence should be for the better and not for the worse.
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Works Cited

Alviso, Ric. "What Is a Corrido? Musical Analysis and Narrative Function." Ebsco Host. 2011.

Web. 25 May 2014.

Hastings, Deborah. "'Narcocorridos,' the Popular Latin Music Styled after American Hip Hop,

Bring about Bloodshed and Grammy Wins." NY Daily News. 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 28

May 2014.

Ilich, Tijana. "Corrido - Overview of Mexico's Narrative Corrido." About.com Latin Music.

2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

Mendoza, Vicente T. El Romance Español Y El Corrido Mexicano: Estudio Comparativo. 2nd

ed. Mexico D.F.: Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico, 1997. Print.

Quintana, Carlos. "Narcocorrido - Overview of Mexico's Drug Ballads." About.com Latin Music.

2014. Web. 26 May 2014.