Prof. J. Nicolopulos

THE MEXICAN & MEXICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE:

CORRIDOS DE DESASTRES

Part I of Mexico City Broadside of "El descarrilamiento de Temamatla."

Topics Related to the Mexican American Experience:

1. Corridos of Disasters.

Some years ago, I began a site focusing on Corridos de Desastres, but never found the time to expand it beyond the famous "Corrido de Jesús García," otherwise known as "Máquina 501." Nevertheless, as the great Mexican corrido scholar Vicente T. Mendoza observes: "Entre los relatos que sacuden en lo más hondo la sensibilidad de las multitudes están los accidentes y desastres que abarcan: descarrilamientos, temblores, inundaciones y efectos ciclónicos, cuyos detalles patéticos sabe captar y describir admirablemente el trovador popular. El arquetipo lo constituye el Descarrilamiento de Temamatla. Es en estos casos en los que el corridista pone a contribución sus cualidades de observación, pues no olvida el más mínimo detalle, pintando cuadros sorprendentes por su realismo y precisión con los horrores propios de las desgracias colectivas" (El corrido mexicano xl-xli). We are fortunate enough to have several versions of "El descarrilamiento de Temamatla," as well as many other corridos about earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, plane and train wrecks, etc., spanning more than a century of popular ballad production. There is also no lack of graphic materials available, as well as historical information. This, then, is a topic that could make a very strong site for the course.

Corridos:

3.d)Disasters Natural and Otherwise.

"El temblor de San Francisco." Steve Jordan. Comp. Steve Jordan. Hacienda CD SC171, Track #3. Subject: 1989 Earthquake in San Francisco, CA, from a tejano perspective.

"La inundación de León." Ptes. I & II. Trío Nava. Comp. Anónimo. Rec. Columbia C4075. New York, NY, October 1921. According to Simmons this flood ocurred in 1888 in León, Guanajuato (42).

"Las crecientes de Beulah." Gilberto Pérez y su conjunto. Chico 45-118A. This and the following two recordings are corridos issued shortly after the hurricane "Beulah" smote the Río Grande valley on 19 September 1967.

"Recorrido de Beulah." Gilberto López. Ideal 2427A. Dueto w/conjunto.

"Recuerdos de Beulah." Gilberto López. Ideal 2427B. Dueto w/conjunto.

"Corrido de la muerte del aviador Sidar." Ptes. I & II. Hermanos Ba–uelos. Rec. Brunswick, Br 41026. Los Angeles, CA. 05/21/30. Subject: Plane crash of celebrated Mexican aviator.

"Muerte de Sidar." Ptes. I & II. Hermanos Ba–uelos. Rec. Columbia Co 4142-X, Los Angeles, CA. Probably a cover of item above for Columbia.

"Los temblores de Oaxaca." Ptes. I & II. Hermanos Ba–uelos. Rec. Brunswick, Br 41287. Los Angeles, CA. 03/16/31. Subject: Major earthquake in Oaxaca.

"Los temblores en México." Ptes. I & II. Hermanos Bolaños. Rec. Columbia, Co 4441-X. Los Angeles, CA. April 1931. Probably a cover of the Hermanos Bañuelos corrido on the Oaxaca earthquake above.

"Tragedia de Nicaragua." Ptes. I & II. Guty y Añez. Comp. Guty Cárdenas. Rec. Columbia, Co 4503-X. New York. April, 1931. Subject: Earthquake in Central America.

"Francisco Sarabia." Ptes. I & II. Chucho y Marín. Comp. Jesús Palacios. Rec. Decca De 10443. New York, 08/29/39. Subject: Plane crash of celebrated Mexican aviator.

"Muerte del aviador Emilio Carranza." Ptes. I & II. Consuelo Contreras y Eduardo Carrillo. Comp. Anónimo. Rec. Victor 81485. Chicago, IL. 07/18/28. Subject: Plane crash--death of celebrated Mexican aviator.

"Emilio Carranza." Ptes. I & II. Cuadro México. Comp. I. M. Valle. Rec. Vocalion Vo 8150. Chicago, IL. 07/24/28.

"La inundación de California." Domínguez, Ramírez y Fierro (Cancioneros Acosta). Comp. E.D. Tavo y E.V. Escalante. Rec. Okeh Ok 16285. San Francisco, CA. 03/29/28. Prof. Guillermo Hernández comments on the use of the term "pocho" in this text.

"Inundación de Tampico." Ptes. I & II. Fierro y Gómez. Comp. Fierro y Gómez. Rec. Brunswick Br 41588. Los Angeles, CA. 10/05/33.

"Aquí hemos venido porque hemos llegado." Ptes. I & II. Luis Hernández y Leonardo Sifuentes. Comp. Anónimo. Rec. Victor 81647. El Paso, TX. 04/23/28. Subject: Train Wreck.

"Corrido de los temblores." Los Madrugadores (Pedro J. González-Hermanos Sánchez). Comp. Pedro J. González y Sánchez. Rec. Columbia Co 4974-X. Los Angeles. 1933. Subject: Earthquake.

"Corrido de Chicho Farfán." Los Morenos. Comp. Luis Moreno. Rec. Columbia Co 6032. Los Angeles, CA. Corrido commemorating the death in a car wreck of singer Narciso Farfán, a member of Los Madrugadores in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

"Kilómetro 1160." Los Norte&ntilede;os de Terán. Ideal 1790A. This border classic is also known as "Arturo Garza Treviño" and celebrates the protagonist's death in a car wreck on the highway between Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo. Don Salomé Gutiérrez of San Antonio Music Co. claims to have composed this corrido at the behest of the widow for the sum of $200.00.

There are many more such ballads in the Arhoolie Foundation Frontera Collection.

Part II of Mexico City Broadside of "El descarrilamiento de Temamatla."

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