Origins
Prior to Spanish arrival, the Aztecs already had a significant musical legacy. They even had formal music schools. Unfortunately, despite some artifacts and drawings giving an idea of what the instruments look like, little research has been conducted into Aztec musical instruments and sound, most information coming from Spanish records.Today Pre-Columbian music can be heard in parts of Mexico, however we cannot be certain how “untainted” these sounds are. For a sampling, please listen to the song below:
During the nearly three centuries of Spanish colonial rule, Mexican music adopted much of Spain’s regional forms, and merged these traditions with the indigenous elements that endured.
In the early 19th century Mexicans sought their independence from Spain and began to embrace other European forms, notably the polka and the waltz. After the revolutionary period Mexico became an independent nation and paved the way for one of the country’s most important and enduring forms: the corrido.
Types of Songs
Corridos are generally ballads about the Mexican Revolution, Pride, Romance, Poverty, and, more recently, Politics and Crime issues. Early on their were seen as troubadours, and with the onset of the Revolution these corridos were used to deliver news and glorify revolutionaries. Below is a traditional corrido about Felipe Angeles, a Mexican military officer noted for his role in the Mexican Revolution.
More modern corridos about crime and political issues are generally called “Narcocorridos”, from the word narcotics, and tend to speak approvingly of some illegal activities such as illegal immigration and drug smuggling. An NPR segment on Mexican Narcocorridos, comparing these Mexican outlaw songs to “gangster rap” set to polka music for their approach towards these subjects, can be heard below.
Rancheras are simple country tunes, often depicting everyday occurrences—from life on the farm to more tragic events. Although not as lyrically complex as the corrido, the ranchera was everyman’s music and idealizes the simple Mexican way of life for all people. Vicente Fernandez is often considered the king of Mexico’s traditional ranchera music, his idol status and influence comparable to Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley, and a sampling of his music can be listened to below.
Styles
Mariachi
One of the most recognizable and distinct styles from Mexico, mariachi features a combination of string and brass instruments. The musicians themselves are also referred to as mariachis. Many of the songs are elaborate and complex, and feature distinct choreography as well. Due to the popularization of this style, when one thinks of Mexican music or dress they often recall the costumes and sound involved with Mariachi music.
Norteno
This style is a blend of traditional Mexican styles like the ranchera with the polka and waltz rhythms carried to Mexico by German and Czech immigrants in the 19th century. Bands have been known to include both guitars and accordions.
Tejano/ Tex Mex
This accordion-guitar duet expanded in the 1940s and ’50s, and with the incorporation of the American drum-set and sometimes a saxophone evolved into what we know as “Tex-Mex” or Tejano music. Although it has influences from Mexico and other Latin American countries, the main influences are American from the Rock and Roll movement and now even synthesizers are used in more modern songs. It still includes the corridas and the ranchera songs associated with Mexico. Some consider it a blend of “Cajun” music with the sounds of Rock and Roll, R&B, Pop, and Country and some influences of Mariachi.
Selena Quintanilla, known simply as Selena by many, is often considered the “Queen of Tejano”, breathing life into the genre and increasing its popularity tremendously, even today after her tragic death.
Below is a video of Selena herself teaching about the history of Mexican American music, recorded before her premature death in 1995.
“Underground” Music
Today due to the influx of Mexican immigrants there is a growing community of Mexican musicians can be found performing in New York’s subways. The increase of bands and this music’s popularity directly mirrors growth of Mexican population.They mostly play norteño music, a genre that originated in the Texas-Mexico borderlands and is wildly popular in Mexico and wherever Mexicans migrate.
Recognizable by their cowboy hats and their emotional corridos these bands show the strong presence of Mexican culture in a city where much of that population spends most of their day in obscurity, behind the closed doors of restaurant kitchens and the high fences of construction sites, fearing detection from la migra. Often times these musicians do not have a stable job and have no choice but to play for money to support their families, disregarding the fine they’ll receive if caught. Many brush it off, considering it an “occupational hazard.”
They have gained even greater attention since Gaspar Orozco, a poet and Mexican consul in New York, created the documentary “Subterraneans,” revealing the underground subway culture of musicians in New York City.
Watch the New York Times piece on the subject of “Subterraneans” of Mexican descent below:
