The Corrido has a long tradition
in Mexico throughout all the different stages of its history.
Although it had considerable resurgence during the Revolution,
it continues to be a live musical form of expression in the
present.
Many folklorists trace its roots to the Medieval Andalusian verses and
ballads brought by the Spanish. However as the study of the native
cultures of México sheds more light many scholars are linking
the narrative style of the corridos to the Nahuatl and native
epic poetry of the Precolumbian times, such as the poems collected
by Angel Maria Garibay K. (e.g., ``La Huída de
Quetzalcóatl''.) A few selected ones are included in this collection.
In modern times, the corrido has portrayed all sorts of
tragedies and misadventures that have not been uncommon in the
life of Mexican peoples, including disgraces of celebrities, (e.g,
``El Circo'') and, to the concern of
family moralists, the drug traffickers deeds in the narcocorridos
(e.g., ``Contrabando y traición''.)
The following corridos and epic stories have become classics or reflect
events that are considered important in Mexican history and culture.
Notes:
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Some of the entries are not considered corridos, strictly speaking.
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As a matter of fact, some are not even songs. Something to keep in
mind if you are looking for the music.
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D.P. = Dominio Publico, i.e., traditional folksong.
D.A.R. = Derechos de Autor Reservados, i.e., copyrighted by the songwriter.
There are songs in the following categories:
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Corridos about bandidos and bandoleros
Corridos about rebellions
Corridos about horses and bullfighting
Corridos about parents and siblings
Humorous corridos
Children songs
Narcocorridos
Corridos about modern times
Corridos "Culteranos".
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Sources:
Angel María Garibay K, Poesía Indígena, México, 1940.
Vicente T. Mendoza, El Corrido
Mexicano, FCE, Mexico, 1954.
María Herrera-Sobek, Northward Bound: The Mexican Immigrant Experience in Ballad and Song, Indiana Univ Press, 1993.
Luis A. Astorga A., Mitología del "Narcotraficante" en México, UNAM/Plaza y Valdés, 1995.
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