The Epic Ballads of Mexico’s Corridos
In Mexico, a distinctive style of music has served for over 200 years as a form of news, entertainment, and cultural storytelling for the masses — the corrido. These epic ballads, often with accordion-driven polka rhythms, tell tales of revolutionary heroes, everyday struggles, and modern-day crime lords. From the fight for independence to the drug war, the corrido has evolved to reflect the history and spirit of the Mexican people.
What is a Corrido?
A corrido is a folk ballad style in 4/4 or 2/4 time, traditionally played on guitar or accordion. The songs are narrative in form, often telling stories of a heroic nature about oppression, love, betrayal, social bandits, current events or legendary figures. Corridos tend to use colorful language, metaphors, repetition and dialogue to bring the stories to life. They frequently incorporate folk rhythms like polka and waltz.
Corridos are strophic songs with verses typically containing four octosyllabic lines. The rhyme scheme is usually ABCB and sometimes ABBA or ABAB with the even lines assonant or consonant. The length can vary greatly from just a few stanzas to dozens that tell elaborate stories. Corridos are often in first person from the perspective of the protagonist.
Origins and Early Development
The origins of the corrido can be traced back to the Spanish romance ballads brought over in the colonial period. Indigenous cultural forms like the Aztec itoloca poetry may have also had an influence. The first true corridos are generally thought to have emerged during the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century as a way to spread news through song.
Early corridos told stories celebrating the heroes and events of the Mexican independence movement, like “El Corrido de Hidalgo” written in the 1800s about revolutionary leader Miguel Hidalgo. Their purpose was propagandistic in arousing fervor for the insurgent cause. Other early corridos recounted bloody tales of bandits and outlaws that became legendary folk heroes.
During the Porfiriato period from the 1870s to 1910, corridos were often commissioned by wealthy patrons to laud political leaders or local heroes. They continued to represent the struggles of the working class and peasantry in stories of villainous authorities, unrequited love and tragic violence. This established the corrido’s enduring image as the musical voice of the common people and their oppressors.
The Corrido Revolution
The Mexican Revolution from 1910–1920 sparked a golden era of corridos chronicling the major events, colorful rebel leaders and troop movements. People in remote villages far from the action relied on travelling musicians and cheaply printed broadsheets to learn what was happening through these ballads. Different regions had their own iconic corrido heroes — Pancho Villa in the north, Emiliano Zapata in the south.
Corridos energized the rebel armies and civilian supporters, creating legends, eulogies and commemorations around rousing stories. Examples like “La Cucaracha”, “La Adelita” and “Valentín de la Sierra” became hugely popular. The revolution established the corrido as a quintessential Mexican art form expressing national identity and pride.
The Post-Revolution Era
After the war, patronage of corrido composition, performance and publication continued by politicians and local governments. Corridos remained important as a political communication and propaganda tool, used by all sides to pay tribute, attack opponents or sway opinion through idealized portrayals.
By the 1950s and 1960s, the genre had declined due to social changes, new mass media, the end of revolutionary fervor and some considering the lyrics vulgar or decadent. But it saw a revival in the 1970s-1990s among Mexican-American youth in the U.S. Southwest. College students returned to corridos of their militant past, seeing parallels with the Chicano civil rights movement.
Narcocorridos and the Drug War
A major resurgence of the corrido began in the 1970s in Sinaloa state after the boom in narcotics cultivation. Drawing inspiration from traditional bandit ballads, a new wave of narcocorridos emerged, recounting tales of drug smugglers. These graphic corridos reflected the harsh realities of communities steeped in the dangerous narcotics business, with their stories of traffickers, kingpins and cartel wars.
Narcocorridos have stirred controversy for seemingly glorifying violence and the lavish criminal lifestyle. Songs like “El Chapo Guzmán” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana and “Otra fuga más” by Lupillo Rivera often romanticize the infamous drug lord and the drug trade in Mexico.
However, in some northern border states plagued by cartel fighting, locals find these corridos give voice to uncensored news and provide cathartic outlets for regions facing heavy censorship of narcocorridos. Songs like “Sanguinarios del M1” by Movimiento Alterado have served as outlets for people living under cartel violence.
Some narcocorridos do aim to condemn the violence or warn youth not to get involved. For instance, “La Granja” by Los Tigres del Norte uses farm metaphors to send anti-drug messages. The animals represent different forces in Mexican society — the pigs symbolize leaders greedily devouring national resources, while the snarling dogs represent the cartels.
Though often graphic and controversial, narcocorridos have provided people in cartel territories an artistic avenue to process their stark realities. Even with their glorified depictions, these corridos give a voice to communities impacted by the drug war.
Modern Corridos
While narcocorridos draw much attention, corridos today actually cover diverse topics relevant to contemporary Mexican life — poverty, immigration, injustice, natural disasters, political critiques, notable crimes, missing women in Juárez and more.
And though lyrics often claim to tell a “true story”, many modern corridos fictionalize events or embellish accuracy like the older bandit ballads did. For example, “Contrabando y Traición” by Los Tigres del Norte tells a fictional story of drug smuggling and betrayal. Some semi-biographical songs are commissioned as tributes by family members of the subjects, like “Jefe de Jefes” written in honor of a drug lord.
Whatever the story’s basis, corridos allow marginalized, unrepresented or misrepresented groups an artistic avenue of expression. Songs like “Mis Tres Animales” give voice to poor farmers, while “La Jaula de Oro” depicts the immigrant experience. Through fictional tales or embellished realities, modern corridos continue the tradition of giving voice to the struggles of everyday people.
Corridos have adapted over two centuries to speak to the Mexican people through their struggles, triumphs and vices. With roots deep in the past and ceaseless relevance to the present, the vital corrido tradition seems poised to endure into the future on both sides of the border.
Popular Corrido Bands and Singers
Here are some popular corrido groups and singers that are worth noting.
- Los Tigres del Norte. Los Tigres del Norte are one of the most popular and successful corrido bands of all time. They have been performing since the 1960s and have released over 60 albums. Their songs are known for their catchy melodies and their stories of love, loss, and violence.
- Los Tucanes de Tijuana. Los Tucanes de Tijuana are another popular corrido band that formed in the 1980s. Their songs are known for their upbeat tempo and their humorous lyrics. They have released over 30 albums and have won numerous awards, including a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Album.
- Ramon Ayala. Ramon Ayala is a legendary accordionist and singer who has been performing corridos since the 1970s. He is known for his unique style of playing the accordion and his passionate vocals. He has released over 50 albums and has won numerous awards, including a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Album.
- Chalino Sanchez. Chalino Sanchez was a corrido singer who was murdered in 1992. He was known for his raw and honest lyrics, which often dealt with violence and drug trafficking. He released 6 albums during his short career and is considered one of the most influential corrido singers of all time.
- Valentín Elizalde. Valentín was a Mexican singer who was murdered in 2006 .His music was a mix of traditional Mexican genres, such as mariachi and norteño, with modern influences. He often sang narcocorridos and hissongs often dealt with themes of love, loss, and violence.
- Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho. Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho were a young corrido band that formed in 2011. They quickly became popular with their catchy songs and their energetic live performances. Camacho was killed in a car accident in 2015, but the band continues to perform with new members.
- El Fantasma. El Fantasma is a young corrido singer who has become one of the most popular in the genre in recent years. His songs are known for their catchy melodies and their romantic lyrics. He has released 4 albums and has won numerous awards, including a Billboard Latin Music Award for Regional Mexican Album of the Year.
- Nivel Codiciado. Nivel Codiciado is a young corrido band that formed in 2013. They are known for their hard-hitting songs about drug trafficking and violence. They have released 3 albums and have quickly become one of the most popular corrido bands in Mexico.
The artists listed here represent just a sample of corridistas. The genre continues to evolve and expand each day.
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