There is a blurred area in Mexico’s rural population: What is the line between banda and the Corrido? Firstly, I would like to say that I am naturally a giant Jenni Rivera fan, have been since I started learning Spanish almost four years ago, and even though I knew of her corridista persona, I had always been in bliss and never made the connections. Banda is such an integral part of northern rural Mexico (rather anything north of Mexico City, not including Mexico City) that I saw the influence of this culture first hand when I lived in a town named “Atlacomulco” in Mexico State. When I was there I got invited to the town’s ‘club’, as a large party goer in Vancouver I was expecting Reggaeton and club music, rather it was a large room with a live band exclusively playing banda and the most popular corridors, not because anybody made them perform those songs, but they enjoyed it and loved it. It was clear that there were drugs being passed around, but also a military presence in case anything were to happen (this was a University fundraising event). What also sparks a consequence of the Corrido culture is that it seems like as long as you’re discreet about it, that anybody is welcome, for instance, Jenni Rivera is viewed as a queer-idol and diva with many devoted fans, and even in the queer northern Mexican circles, they listen to banda and corridors, knowing the words by heart, feeling connected to the music.
Another thing I want to touch on is the la buchona, the created role of women (mostly in Sinaloa), as a short description of la buchona: A rich woman (self-made or otherwise) who look to be a lover, girlfriend, la onda, or the wife of a narcotraficante, she is generally glamorous, however, they are always powerful members of the narco culture and is well respected (often Jenni Rivera is considered to express the aesthetic of la buchona). There is a romanticization of the buchona aesthetic, I am personally guilty of this, even my instagram bio says: “La Buchona de Luis” (Luis is my partner). There is a fantasy that comes with the image of a buchona, I think this has to do with how wealth is viewed in Mexico, it can be a sign to some people of “I’ve made it”. I know in the lecture video fashion was touched on very briefly, but I would like to not as a final thought that the fashion that comes out of the narco culture does heavily influence fashion in Mexico. On Mexico’s “La Mas Draga” (A reality competition show about drag queens, think Rupaul’s Drag Race), there was an episode/challenge dedicated to imitating the buchona aesthetic, it has an impact, and I don’t ever think it is going to go away.
What are the potential consequences (positive or negative) of the narcos culture on Mexico? How does it impact the people on a more personal level? Where does narco go from here?
“I am naturally a giant Jenni Rivera fan, have been since I started learning Spanish almost four years ago, and even though I knew of her corridista persona, I had always been in bliss and never made the connections.”
So my question to you: does your view change if you now see the connections between Rivera and the violence that is part and parcel of narcoculture? Is your “bliss” shaken a little? Should it be, or not?
Hi Dylan,
Regarding narcos subculture in Mexico, I do feel that it is likely to perpetuate stereotypes about Mexicans as violent and drug-dealers or gang members internationally. Within the country, I worry that it may make children think being a narco is cooler than it is, or that it is a surefire way to find a community within which to belong. For example, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_HGiO-a2us; this was a small female facet of a gang in Mexico City, and to me it seems like they were heavily inspired by narcos culture, but also like they clearly wanted a collective to belong to and feel backed up by. Even with academic and media coverage of the narcocorridos, I often wonder if it may do more bad than good: It is an interesting and culturally significant phenomenon and example of pop culture, but I’ve wondered if all this coverage and scholarship has made it seem more popular than it is, which may also perpetuate the negative stereotypes I mentioned.
I really enjoyed reading your post! In regards to your question about the consequences of narco culture in Mexico I think that a negative one is that is glorifies this lifestyle. Young people growing up too if they are growing up in poverty think this might be a way to get rich fast, while not considering the real life consequences that go along with committing such crimes and the dangers that come with this. It’s hard when there are shows like “Narcos” out that have become quite popular because in a sense yes they are very educational and go through the stories quite well. However something I feel like they leave out are the millions of people affected by the illegal drug trade in terms of innocent people being killed, families after the fact, and the violence and hostility that can get very dangerous at times. As they are most of the time focusing on the higher ups in the business.
Hi Dylan!
I really liked your mention and explanation of la buchona. I’ve definitely seen the same type of thing being idealized/romanticized, in Latin America and elsewhere. I think it’s kind of comparable to being a “trophy wife”. You get the money, the glory, the attention, but you’re not necessarily getting your hands dirty. And I think when you have nothing, when you’re living in poverty or you just have no hope for any sort of future, anything can look better than nothing. So even though there are negatives to the narco culture and lifestyle (many of which have already been mentioned), the positives might seem to outweigh it all.
Hi Coral,
Just wanted to say that, at the end of the day, I think what you said about poverty is key. It isn’t really the music that leads to narco culture so much as the poverty itself (not only because poor people will sell drugs and much more to survive, and for their families, but because narco-corridos can become tales about escaping your circumstances and gaining power). I do worry that the narco-corridos and academic discussions of them will perpetuate stereotypes about Mexicans internationally, and that they may contribute to some people wanting to be involved in the drug trade, but at the end of the day everything would still happen without the music. In fact I think efforts to censor it make it even more appealing and interesting to poor people, not just because it’s prohibited but because the government has failed them so much that it’s kind of like “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” in some ways. So yeah I thought what you said is super important.