CORRIDOS DE CONTRABANDO
The corridos de Contrabando represent a complex subgenre of Mexican ballads. These accounts of smugglers and smuggling activities cover a vast part of history, from the late 1800’s, under the regime of Porfirio Diaz, into the era of prohibition, and continue to appear throughout the 20th century. As the times changed, so did the nature and various aspects of the corridos de contrabando. Two divisions of the smuggling corrido took form: los corridos heroicos (heroic corridos) and los lamentos de prisionero (the regrets of the prisoner), which are the majority. This site explores historical, structural, and societal attributes of various corridos which correspond to distinctive periods in the existence of the corridos de contrabando. Musical clips and lyrics are also provided for your listening and viewing pleasure.