ABSTRACT
Since 1848 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (which ended the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848) and the establishment of the boundary between the United States and Mexico, Spanish-speaking musicians have continuously crossed back and forth across the international border. They have also carried back and forth across the border folk-, popular-, and art-music styles and repertories that have enriched musical life in both the U.S. Southwest and Mexico. So, too, have they crossed the boundaries between the many manifestations of popular culture in the twentieth century: film, radio, television, recordings, concerts, musical theater, and print media. They have also moved between a “mainstream” English-speaking context and local Spanish-speaking culture in the Southwest (the area with the greatest concentration of Mexicans and Mexican Americans). While most of these musicians have been male, a number of women have made significant contributions to musical life on both sides of the border, especially in the realm of popular music. This article examines the careers of some of the most important mexicana (Mexican), tejana (Texas-Mexican), and chicana (Mexican-American) musicians of the twentieth century. It also examines the ways in which these women performers and their repertories have crossed both boundaries and borders.
