El corrido de Laurita Garza,” also known simply as “Laurita Garza,” describes a story of heartbreak that ends in tragedy.
Without a doubt, the corrido is one of the most emblematic genres in Mexican popular music. Each song usually tells a story about a specific character or incident that transcends everyday events. They are the musical equivalents of oral accounts told from person to person, like those once sung by troubadours. In the corrido, the old tradition of relating real and striking stories to other people lives on. It has become one of the most recognized and classic musical genres in Mexico, even though it has evolved into what are today known as narcocorridos, narratives about organized crime.
“El corrido de Laurita Garza,” also known simply as “Laurita Garza,” describes a story of heartbreak that ends in tragedy. The tale is simple: Laurita talks to her boyfriend Emilio Guerra, who tells her that he has found another woman, Estela, who will soon be his wife. Laurita tries to convince him otherwise, but he won’t listen to her, so Laurita kills him and then commits suicide.
Such an incident easily burns into people’s minds, especially if it occurs in a small town. That is the case here, since the narrative is set in a “hidden hacienda” near the Bravo River (or the Rio Grande as it is known in the United States). “Laurita Garza” is a classic and a precursor to the narcocorridos, in which the central theme is the violence and sorrow caused by organized crime. However, while the narcocorridos glorify these acts and the people involved in them, “Laurita Garza” is more of a popular tragedy, a song of sadness about an episode that impressed people so much they were unable to forget. In a way, it is a cautionary tale.
The language used will not present an obstacle to anyone new to Spanish. Surprisingly, terms commonly used in Mexico are absent. The most complex term is found near the end, when Laurita takes out a gun: “Sacó una escuadra cortita.” An “escuadra” is a “gun” and “cortita” is the diminutive form of “corta” or “short.” There’s also a version of the song in which the word “plebe” appears, a term often used in northern Mexico to refer to children or young people.
“Laurita Garza” is one of the genre’s most accessible works and, in my opinion, a perfect introduction into the world of Mexico’s popular music. It has all the elements a corrido needs.
