An exhibit celebrating the corridos of the border area is now open in the west wing of Zimmerman Library on the UNM main campus. Corridos are popular ballads that try to make sense of important people and events. The exhibit highlights the origins of the corridor, the stories, and the Narcocorrido that is popular today. The “Corrido of Gregorio Cortez” is a featured part of the exhibit which notes the many variations told of his chase and capture by Texas Rangers.
Corridos are often been composed during war time. The “Corrido de Bataan,” recalls the Bataan Death March in WWII. “The “Corrido de Daniel Fernandez” honors a Los Lunas soldier who sacrificed his life to save others in Vietnam. “America Bajo Ataque” remembers the tragedy of 9/11 and the “Corrido de una Mexicana in Irak” questions the reasons for the Iraq War.
Mexican prints about corridos made by José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) are a special part of the exhibit. Posada was a noted illustrator and commercial artist from Mexico City -- José Guadalupe Posada. The prints are part of the Center for Southwest Research archival collections.
Also included are recorded corridos and work by Enrique Lamadrid, director, Southwest Hispanic Studies, and Roberto Martinez, founder of the musical group, “Los Reyes de Alburquerque.” Both have contributed to the Robb Music Archive at the CSWR. Lamadrid also helped curate a corridos exhibition at the National Hispanic Cultural Center -- Corridos Sin Frontera.
This exhibit was completed by Katherine McCully, a McNair Program’s Scholar in Southwest Ethnology and History. McCully is also a reference assistant in the CSWR. The exhibit will run through the end of the fall 2004 semester.
Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627