An exhibition celebrating the corrido, or ballad, tradition in the United States and Mexico will run from May 15 to Aug. 11 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, Calif.

“Corridos sin Fronteras,� or “Ballads Without Borders,� recreates the history of the corrido, a narrative song or ballad whose characters, events and themes are representative of the values and history of Mexican and Mexican-American communities in the United States and Mexico.

“This national exhibition is a visual illustration of the diversity of themes present in these ballads, known as corridos, as well as a musical journey through voices, melodies, instruments, styles and interpretations that corridos have adopted in their long and complex evolution,� said Guillermo Hernandez, director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. “Old and new audiences will be exposed to a most significant genre that represents the unofficial side of history.�

The themes of corridos are diverse but they generally involve tragic accidents and heroes that attract the attention and sympathy of entire communities, Hernandez said. There are corridos about Cesar Chavez, the legendary farm labor leader, and Pancho Villa, the Mexican Revolution leader. Such contemporary groups as Los Tigres Del Norte, which has recorded nearly 500 songs and corridos in their 30-year history, popularize the genre.

Vintage and modern recordings, historical documents, photographs, posters, musical instruments and other treasured memorabilia trace the corrido tradition over the past 200 years. Los Tigres’ songs and several of their musical artifacts have been incorporated into the exhibit, including a gold album, a Grammy award, performance trajes, or suits, and musical instruments.

The exhibit builds on the world’s first comprehensive museum exhibition on the corrido, which the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History displayed in June 1998.

The Smithsonian exhibition features 16 corridos in four core sound stations and three video stations, along with musical instruments, costumes, memorabilia, historical documents, photographs, a musical interactive unit and a map detailing the origins of the ballad tradition and
the places featured in corridos. The exhibit will travel to seven other cities during the next three years.

The exhibit also has an online educational companion at www.corridos.org/. The Web site, which is in English and Spanish, allows users to listen to corridos and create their own.

UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives organized the exhibit. It was made possible through the generous support of the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Fund.

The exhibition also will travel to Denver; San Antonio, Texas; McAllen, Texas; Mesa, Ariz.; Chicago; Austin, Texas; and Albuquerque, N.M.

Founded in 1969, the Chicano Studies Research Center promotes the study of and dissemination of knowledge on the experience of the people of Mexican descent and other Latinos in the United States. The center’s primary goal is support of UCLA faculty research and training of the next generation of scholars in this area. The center is a leader in corrido studies.

In 2000 the Los Tigres Del Norte Foundation, established by the popular, Grammy award–winning Los Tigres Del Norte, and its record label, Fonovisa, donated $500,000 to launch the establishment of the largest public collection of Spanish-language folk music at UCLA.

Each year, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service shares the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside of Washington, D.C. One of the Smithsonian’s four National Programs, SITES makes available a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown not only in museums but wherever people live, work, and play, including libraries, science centers, historical societies, community centers, botanical gardens, schools and shopping malls. In 2002 SITES celebrates 50 years of connecting Americans to their shared cultural heritage. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu/.

The Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives was established in May 1997 to advance knowledge and understanding of Latino contributions to U.S. history, culture and society. The center accomplishes its mission by generating knowledge through research and scholarship; interpreting and communicating knowledge through exhibitions, public programs, and online and electronic capabilities; and by building dialogue and relationships among U.S. Latino communities, the Smithsonian Institution, and other educational and research organizations, foundations, corporations and government agencies.

The exhibit will be shown at the Mexican Heritage Plaza’s La Galeria, 1700 Alum Rock. For information about La Galeria, call (408) 928-5524.