What a song it would be, the corrido of Gregorio Cortez from The Legend. The song of every man in Mexico, every man they strive to be. I gathered from the reading that Cortez was not really a man, but an embodiment of what every man wants to be. What they work to be, and emulate. Cortez was “not too dark and not too fair, not too think and not too fat, not too short and not too tall.” The average man, the man that every man could see himself in and could attribute himself to have the same qualities of this perfect Mexican. The author illustrates this idea by saying, “he looked just a little bit like me,” and he looked a little bit like every man in Mexico.
That is what corridos did, they told a story, and I can visualize this story being told by straight-faced singers, bellowing out the virtues of living a quiet and honest life, while encouraging people to turn away from a selfish, and loud life.
The corrido of Gregorio Cortez is the corrido of every honest man in Mexico, while “the north” stigmatized Mexicans as lazy, brash people the corrido of Cortez brought light to the true character of Mexicans. The songs meant to get the true story out, to dispel the myth that Mexicans were their stereotypes; they were hard working, honest, and respectful. The music was the only medium these people had to try and stop the rumor that what was being said was in fact true. Music that was sang with vigor, and this appeals to many human emotions. Music allows for release, and this may be why corridos are still so popular, release comes fast when you are yelling lyrics you connect with deeply at the top of the lungs. The songs give you a picture of what happened, who to be and through corridos people form an identity.
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