'Corridos sin Fronteras' celebrates regional folk songs

Corridos sin Fronteras (“Ballads without Borders”) is a series of multi-media events at the University of Colorado Boulder celebrating the local folk songs of Colorado and New Mexico. The events include a symposium, two performances, a traveling exhibition and an online interactive educational website.



A “corrido” is a native song or ballad that has prospered in several regions of the Spanish-speaking Americas. Corridos represent the unofficial history of the communities and their heroes. From songs of corrupt politicians to unfaithful wives to winning horses, corridos are a gritty account of history and current events.

Symposium and Performance

“Poetry, Violence, and Memory: Corrido, indita, and cuando ballads of New Mexico and Colorado”
Date: April 14, 2014
Time: 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: Norlin Library M549
University of Colorado, Boulder
Free and open to the public

The presenters are: Enrique Lamadrid, Emeritus, University of New Mexico; Peter Garcia, California State University, Northridge; David Garcia, doctoral candidate, University of Texas, Austin; and Brenda M. Romero, University of Colorado Boulder College of Music.

Special Concert
Representative ballads will be performed at a special concert in Old Main.
Date: April 13, 2014
Time: 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Location: Old Main Building, University of Colorado, Boulder

Traveling Exhibition
“Nuevo México, ¿hasta cuándo?” (“New Mexico, how much longer?”)
Date: Ends April 14, 2014
Location: Norlin Library, 2^nd floor SW Science alcove
During regular library hours

“Nuevo México, ¿hasta cuándo?” (“New Mexico, how much longer?”) is a traveling kiosk exhibition that celebrates the ballad traditions of New Mexico and Colorado. The exhibition re-creates the historical development of the corrido,indita, and cuando ballads in New Mexico over the past 400 years through broadsides, photographs, posters, and other treasured memorabilia.  "Nuevo México, ¿hasta cuándo?" explores the significance of this popular oral tradition as an expression of community life. The ballads range in topic from historical topics of wars, terrorism, social struggle, and natural disasters, to themes of love, betrayal, and even women’s rights. These ballads have survived centuries and will continue to be passed down to successive generations.

Curated by Prof. Enrique Lamadrid, the kiosk consists of four 4/8 foot panels. Eight ballads on women´s captivity and suffrage, mining, the land grants, and communities under siege are titled:

• Las Mercedes: The Struggle for the Land


• Los Mineros: Triumph and Tragedy in the Mines


• Mujeres en la Lucha: From Captivity to Suffrage, and


• Querencias: Home in Harm’s Way

Learn more about corridos at: www.corridos.org

Through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Service, Interactive Knowledge, Inc. has developed an interactive educational website that includes audio, background information, and links for teachers' guides and resources.  Complete curriculum materials, including lesson plans, CDs and videos are available for workshops.

Sponsored by the College of Music Ethnomusicology Area, Department of Ethnic Studies, University Libraries, and the Graduate Committee for the Arts and Humanities.

For more information, contact the library staff at Brenda.Romero@colorado.edu, Deborah.Fink@colorado.edu or 303-492-8302.