{"id":389,"date":"2023-02-13T04:09:18","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T09:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/?p=389"},"modified":"2023-05-07T07:37:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T12:37:06","slug":"gregorio-cortez-by-pedro-rocha-and-lupe-martinez-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/2023\/02\/13\/gregorio-cortez-by-pedro-rocha-and-lupe-martinez-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Gregorio Cort\u00e9z&#8221; by Pedro Rocha and Lupe Mart\u00ednez"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gregorio Cort\u00e9z (Pts. 1 &amp; 2)\" width=\"1333\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mUgMMGvlt2s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Who is Gregorio Cort\u00e9z?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/image-16.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-483\" width=\"629\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/image-16.png 1000w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/image-16-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/files\/2023\/02\/image-16-768x492.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/cortez-lira-gregorio\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/cortez-lira-gregorio\">Gregorio Cort\u00e9z<\/a> was born on June 22, 1875, near <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Matamoros-Tamaulipas-state-Mexico\">Matamoros, Tamaulipas<\/a>. After his family moved to Texas in 1887, he began working as a vaquero (cowboy). In 1901, he fatally shot Sheriff Morris in self-defense when Morris incorrectly accused Cort\u00e9z and his brother Romaldo of stealing horses. Cort\u00e9z then fled town after making sure his family was safe. He managed to elude capture for two weeks in one of the most famous manhunts in history. Over 600 men attempted to capture him. After eventually learning that his wife and children had been jailed, Cort\u00e9z surrendered himself. Despite being convicted of Morris&#8217;s murder and beginning a life sentence, he was pardoned in 1913. After being pardoned, he went to Nuevo Laredo and fought with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/huerta-victoriano\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/huerta-victoriano\">Victoriano Huerta<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/mexican-revolution\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/mexican-revolution\">Mexican Revolution<\/a>. Cort\u00e9z quickly become a border folk hero. Overtime, he also came to represent the inequality of justice between the Hispanic settlers and the Anglo settlers. There were already strict tensions between the Hispanic settlers and the Anglo settlers long before Gregorio&#8217;s flight from the authorities. However, his story truly brought to light the differences in how Hispanics were treated in comparison to Anglos. Disregarding the fact that there was a language barrier that prevented true justice from availing, Gregorio was treated immensely differently from how Morris would have been, despite the fact that they committed the same &#8220;crime.&#8221; Gregorio was eventually sentenced to a life sentence for killing Sheriff Morris, as mentioned above, but Morris would have faced practically no consequences for killing Romaldo, Gregorio&#8217;s brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>About the Song<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">I was unable to locate any information on the artists, Pedro Rocha and Lupe Mart\u00ednez. However, I was able to find some information on the song itself. This song was released in 1929, which was in between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II. While this may have influenced the production of this song, in Mexico, another event is much more likely to have influenced Rocha and Mart\u00ednez: the <a href=\"https:\/\/edsitement.neh.gov\/closer-readings\/mexican-revolution-november-20th-1910\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/edsitement.neh.gov\/closer-readings\/mexican-revolution-november-20th-1910\">Mexican Revolution (1910-1920)<\/a>. The Mexican Revolution is often considered to be the first major conflict of the 20th century. The main motive for the revolution was challenging the regime of dictator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Porfirio-Diaz\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Porfirio-Diaz\">Porfirio D\u00edaz<\/a>, who had been in power for over 30 years, which violated the Mexican Constitution of 1857. After approximately 6 months of conflict, D\u00edaz resigned and left Mexico. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/madero-francisco-indalecio\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/madero-francisco-indalecio\">Francisco I. Madero<\/a>, who called for the uprising against the former dictator, eventually became president after the 1911 elections. Victoriano Huerta, whom Gregorio Cort\u00e9z fought with, assassinated Madero in 1913. Interestingly, Cort\u00e9z, who was known for his legacy of resistance, fought on the side of the counterrevolutionaries rather than on the side that resisted the dictatorship. In addition to the historical elements of the song, there are several stylistic choices that are tejano in nature. For example, this song uses close harmony singing, as well as a &#8220;<sub>1,<\/sub><sup> 2,<\/sup> <sup>3<\/sup> &#8221; waltz feel. Both of these are commonly used in tejano music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Lyrics, Translation, and Discussion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">En el condado del Carmen <em>(In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/cameron-county\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/cameron-county\">county of the Carmen<\/a>)<\/em><br>miren lo que ha sucedido. <em>(look what has happened.)<\/em><br>Muri\u00f3 el sherife mayor <em>(The sheriff died leaving)<\/em><br>quedando Rom\u00e1n herido. <em>(Rom\u00e1n wounded.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Otro d\u00eda por la ma\u00f1ana <em>(The following morning)<\/em><br>cuando la gente lleg\u00f3, <em>(when the people arrived,)<\/em><br>unos a los otros dicen <em>(some said to the others)<\/em><br>no saben quien lo mat\u00f3.<em>(they don&#8217;t know who killed him.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Se anduvieron informando <em>(They were investigating)<\/em><br>como tres horas despu\u00e9s, <em>(and about three hours later,)<\/em><br>supieron que el malhechor <em>(they found that the wrongdoer)<\/em><br>era Gregorio Cort\u00e9z. <em>(was Gregorio Cort\u00e9z.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Insortaron a Cort\u00e9z <em>(Cort\u00e9z was wanted)<\/em><br>por toditito el estado. <em>(throughout the state.)<\/em><br>Vivo o muerto que se aprehenda <em>(Alive or dead may he be apprehended)<\/em><br>porque a varios ha matado. <em>(for he has killed several.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Dec\u00eda Gregorio Cort\u00e9z <em>(Said Gregorio Cort\u00e9z)<\/em><br>con su pistola en la mano, <em>(with his pistol in his hand,)<\/em><br>-No siento haberlo matado <em>(&#8220;I&#8217;m not sorry for having killed him,)<\/em><br>al que siento es a mi hermano.- <em>(it&#8217;s for my brother that I feel sorry.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Dec\u00eda Gregorio Cort\u00e9z <em>(Said Gregorio Cort\u00e9z)<\/em><br>con su alma muy encendida, <em>(with his soul aflame,)<\/em><br>-No siento haberlo matado <em>(&#8220;I&#8217;m not sorry for having killed him,&#8221;)<\/em><br>la defensa es permitada.- <em>(self defense is permitted.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Ven\u00edan los americanos. <em>(The Americans came.)<\/em><br>Que por el viento volaban  <em>(They flew like the wind)<\/em><br>porque se iban a ganar <em>(because they were going to win)<\/em><br>tres mil pesos que les daban. <em>(the three thousand pesos reward.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Sigui\u00f3 con rumba a Gonz\u00e1les. <em>(They continued toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/gonzales-tx\">Gonz\u00e1les<\/a>.)<\/em><br>Varios sherifes lo vieron. <em>(Several sheriffs saw him.)<\/em><br>No lo quisieron seguir <em>(They did not want to continue)<\/em><br>porque le tuvieron miedo. <em>(because they were afraid of him.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Ven\u00edan los perros jaunes, <em>(Came the hound dogs,)<\/em><br>ven\u00edan sobre la huella. <em>(they came on his trail.)<\/em><br>Pero alcanzar a Cort\u00e9z <em>(But to reach Cort\u00e9z)<\/em><br>Era alcanzar a una estrella <em>(was to reach a star.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Dec\u00eda Gregorio Cort\u00e9z <em>(Gregorio Cort\u00e9z said,)<\/em><br>-Pa\u00b4 qu\u00e9 se valen de planes <em>(&#8220;What&#8217;s the use of plans)<\/em><br>si no pueden agarrarme <em>(if you can&#8217;t catch me)<\/em><br>ni con esos perros jaunes.-<em> (even with those hound dogs.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Dec\u00edan los americanos <em>(The Americans said)<\/em><br>-Si lo vemos que le haremos <em>(&#8220;If we see him what shall we do to him;)<\/em><br>Si le entramos por derecho <em>(If we face him head on)<\/em><br>muy poquitos volveremos.- <em>(very few will return.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">En el redondel del rancho <em>(In the ranch corral)<\/em><br>lo alcanzaron a rodear, <em>(they managed to surround him.)<\/em><br>Poquitos m\u00e1s de trescientos <em>(A little more than 300 men)<\/em><br>y all\u00ed les brinc\u00f3 el corral. <em>(and there he gave them the slip.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">All\u00e1 por el Encinal <em>(There around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/encinal-tx\">Encinal<\/a>)<\/em><br>a seg\u00fan por lo que dicen <em>(from all that they say.)<\/em><br>Se agarraron a balazos <em>(They had a shoot-out)<\/em><br>y les mat\u00f3 otro sherife. <em>(and he killed another sheriff.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Dec\u00eda Gregorio Cort\u00e9z <em>(Gregorio Cort\u00e9z said)<\/em><br>con su pistola en la mano, <em>(with his pistol in his hand,)<\/em><br>-No corran rinches cobardes <em>(&#8220;Don&#8217;t run, you cowardly Rangers)<\/em><br>con un solo mexicano.- <em>(from one lone Mexican.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Gir\u00f3 con rumbo a Laredo <em>(He turned toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/laredo-tx\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/laredo-tx\">Laredo<\/a>)<\/em><br>sin ninguna timidez, <em>(without a single fear,)<\/em><br>-\u00a1S\u00edganme rinches cobardes, <em>(&#8220;Follow me, you cowardly Rangers,)<\/em><br>yo soy Gregorio Cort\u00e9z!- <em>(I am Gregorio Cort\u00e9z.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Gregorio le dice a Juan <em>(Gregorio says to Juan)<\/em><br>en el rancho del Cipr\u00e9s, <em>(at the ranch of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/cypress-tx-harris-county\">Cypress<\/a>,)<\/em><br>-Plat\u00edcame qu\u00e9 hay de nuevo, <em>(&#8220;Tell me what&#8217;s new,)<\/em><br>yo soy Gregorio Cort\u00e9z.- <em>(I am Gregorio Cort\u00e9z.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Gregorio le dice a Juan, <em>(Gregorio says to Juan,)<\/em><br>-Muy pronto lo vas a ver, <em>(&#8220;Very soon you will see,)<\/em><br>anda hablale a los sherifes <em>(go and talk to the sheriffs)<\/em><br>que me vengan a aprehender.- <em>(that they should come and arrest.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Cuando llegan los sherifes <em>(When the sheriffs arrive)<\/em><br>Gregorio se present\u00f3, <em>(Gregorio presented himself,)<\/em><br>-Por la buena si me llevan <em>(&#8220;You&#8217;ll take me if I wish it,)<\/em><br>porque de otro modo no.- <em>(because there is no other way.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Ya agarraron a Cort\u00e9z, <em>(Now they caught Cort\u00e9z,)<\/em><br>ya termin\u00f3 la cuesti\u00f3n. <em>(now the case is closed.)<\/em><br>La pobre de su familia <em>(His poor family)<\/em><br>la lleva en el coraz\u00f3n. <em>(he carries in his heart.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Ya con esto me despido <em>(Now with this I take my leave)<\/em><br>con la sombra de un Cipr\u00e9s. <em>(in the shade of a cypress.)<\/em><br>Aqu\u00ed se acaba cantando <em>(Here we finish singing)<\/em><br>la tragedia de Cort\u00e9z. <em>(the tragedy of Cort\u00e9z.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This song tells the tale of Gregorio Cort\u00e9z as he runs from the authorities after killing Sheriff Morris. While explaining the travel route of Cort\u00e9z while he fled the authorities, the song references five cities\/counties that are in Texas. The song itself is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/corridos-stories-told-through-song.htm\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/corridos-stories-told-through-song.htm\">corrido<\/a>, a traditional Mexican song style that is used for storytelling, and it is a version of Mexican folk music. Corridos often tell of battles, political resistance, the lives of notorious people, and the epic journey of life. This style of song also often includes many stringed instruments, such as the guitar that is clearly heard throughout the ballad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">\u201cCorridos: Stories Told Through Song.\u201d <em>National Park Service<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/corridos-stories-told-through-song.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/corridos-stories-told-through-song.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">\u201cGregorio Cortez.\u201d <em>Fresno State University<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnostate.edu\/folklore\/ballads\/CAFS2526.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.fresnostate.edu\/folklore\/ballads\/CAFS2526.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">\u201cGregorio Cortez.\u201d <em>University of Texas<\/em>, 7 May 2001, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.laits.utexas.edu\/jaime\/jnicolopulos\/cwp3\/icg\/cortez\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.laits.utexas.edu\/jaime\/jnicolopulos\/cwp3\/icg\/cortez\/index.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Orozco, Cynthia E. \u201cCortez Lira, Gregorio (1875-1916).\u201d <em>Texas State Historical Association<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/cortez-lira-gregorio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.tshaonline.org\/handbook\/entries\/cortez-lira-gregorio<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Rocha, Pedro and Mart\u00ednez, Lupe. \u201cGregorio Cort\u00e9z.\u201d <em>Corridos &amp; Tragedias de la Frontera<\/em>, Arhoole Records, 1929, <a href=\"https:\/\/folkways-media.si.edu\/docs\/folkways\/artwork\/ARH07019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/folkways-media.si.edu\/docs\/folkways\/artwork\/ARH07019.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Rodriguez, Leonard. \u201cGregorio Lira Cortez.\u201d <em>La Prensa Texas<\/em>, 20 November 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/laprensatexas.com\/gregorio-lira-cortez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/laprensatexas.com\/gregorio-lira-cortez\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">\u201cThe Mexican Revolution: November 20<sup>th<\/sup>, 1910.\u201d <em>National Endowment for the Humanities<\/em>, 19 March 2012, <a href=\"https:\/\/edsitement.neh.gov\/closer-readings\/mexican-revolution-november-20th-1910\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/edsitement.neh.gov\/closer-readings\/mexican-revolution-november-20th-1910<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who is Gregorio Cort\u00e9z? Gregorio Cort\u00e9z was born on June 22, 1875, near Matamoros, Tamaulipas. After his family moved to Texas in 1887, he began working as a vaquero (cowboy). In 1901, he fatally shot Sheriff Morris in self-defense when Morris incorrectly accused Cort\u00e9z and his brother Romaldo of stealing &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":348,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[76,77,70],"class_list":["post-389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-historic-texan-music","tag-corrido","tag-gregorio-cortez","tag-mexico"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/348"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1781,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389\/revisions\/1781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}