Acceso usuarios
Herlinda Ramírez-Barradas
In recent years there has been a growing interest in exploring the field of the Mexican popular ballads called corridos, but there is still the need to clarify the development of the hero in those compositions. My paper focuses on the composition dedicated to Benito Canales, written around 1882. My study examines the structure and development of several versions of the ballad to determine the evolutionary characteristics of this popular hero. In my research I have gathered songs from various sources: anthologies, broadsides, cancioneros and recordings. Essentially, I have brought together ballads from different sources to uncover the ways in which the Benito Canales’ corrido has remained constant, and the ways in which it has acquired uniqueness in form and meaning. My study of this traditional composition attempts to describe the gradual refinement through time of Benito Canales’ image.
