Final Exam

Question 1

Narcocorrido

Answer 1

A corrido relating to the drug traffic; while controversial and often banned, they are extremely popular on both sides of the border.

Question 2

Immigration

Answer 2

One of the most pressing issues of the U.S.-Mexico relationship, it can be said to have transformed the demographics of the border region as well as the U.S. at large over the past 70 years.

Question 3

Border Industrial Program

Answer 3

Program designed by the Mexican government to encourage foreign investment in the manufacturing sector and to provide employment for the workers now unemployed due to the end of the Bracero program.

Question 4

Maquiladora

Answer 4

An assembly plant in Mexico, usually in the border area, where U.S. goods are assembled while taking advantage of lower Mexican wages.

Question 5

Operation Wetback

Answer 5

A repatriation program that operated from 1953-1955, during which undocumented workers but also many American citizens were deported to Mexico.

Question 6

Immigration Act of 1965

Answer 6

US legislation that eliminated national origin quotas, resulting in a decline of the proportion of Western European immigration to the US.

Question 7

Remittances

Answer 7

The money that immigrants send back to their communities; an estimated US $20 billion

Question 8

Bilingualism

Answer 8

The use and knowledge of both English and Spanish; it is an increasing feature of the border region and beyond.

Question 9

Assimilation

Answer 9

The process whereby a minority group, such as immigrants, gradually adapts to the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture. Historically, Mexican immigrants have shown a tendency to resist it.

Question 10

Proposition 187

Answer 10

Contentious 1994 California law, passed by
referendum, that sought to prohibit illegal aliens’ access
to health care, education and other social services.
Although it was later found to be unconstitutional, it
exemplified the anti-immigrant climate of U.S. politics

Question 11

Mexico as an escape

Answer 11

One of the three main ways in which Mexico is represented in U.S. popular music/culture: the notion that Mexico offers a respite from the law, the social mores, etc. of mainstream U.S. society.

Question 12

Mexican Senorita

Answer 12

One of the 3 main ways in which Mexico is represented in US popular music/culture, this seductive or seduced woman represents both the ambivalent desire the U.S. persona feels towards Mexico but also the subjugated position of Mexico vis-a-vis the U.S.

Question 13

Mexicans as victims

Answer 13

This view emerges in sympathetic representations of Mexico in U.S. popular music/culture, but also in mainstream Mexican responses to the immigration issue, in which the wronged immigrant is symbolic of Mexico vis-a-vis the U.S.

Question 14

The Great House

Answer 14

A symbol and metaphor for the decline of the Spanish/Mexican order in the U.S. Southwest after the U.S.-Mexican War, it appeared often in romance novels of the post-war period.

Question 15

Binational Artists

Answer 15

Those who, culturally, feel equally at home in both countries and therefore create eclectic musics that reflect these allegiances, without feeling that they must compromise or choose one over the other.

Question 16

Binational Imagination

Answer 16

A metaphor for the cultural manifestations of the U.S.-Mexico encounter; the impact of a shared experience and representations of Self and Other that both countries participate in creating.

Question 17

Musica Tropical

Answer 17

Term that applies to many hybrid genres of Afro-Caribbean origin or influence; in Mexican rock, its elements are often used to deliver a political message or social commentary.

Question 18

Habenera

Answer 18

Rhythmic pattern of Latin origin featuring a dotted quarter and an eighth note followed by two quarters.

Question 19

Clave

Answer 19

Rhythmic pattern of Cuban origin featuring a series of eighth notes arranged in irregular groups of 2 and 3; a fundamental element of Afro-Cuban music.

Question 20

Salsa

Answer 20

Latin dance genre developed by cuban and puerto rican immigrants in New York, featuring elements from cuban son, percussion and jazz improvisation.

Question 21

Cumbia

Answer 21

Afro-Caribbean dance genre of Colombian origin, but which has become so entrenched in Mexican culture that many Mexicans consider it to be a Mexican genre and is therefore featured in conjunto repertoire.

Question 22

Mexican singer and songwriter who wrote many narcocorridos on commission, cultivated a bandit persona and reached fame after being assassinated while on tour in his home state of Sinaloa in 1992; he sparked a revival in the corrido genre.

Answer 22

Chalino Sanchez

Question 23

Conjunto norteño known for their romantic music, dance music as well as narcocorridos; their lyrics often use code words to refer to drug lore, such as in “Mis tres animales”.

Answer 23

Los Tucanes de Tijuana

Question 24

Mexican-American singer, known as “La Diva de la Banda”, who became successful in the male-dominated banda and narcocorrido scene until her death in a plane crash in 2012.

Answer 24

Jenni Rivera

Question 25

Mexican singer, known as “El Gallo de Oro”, who won fame posthumously after being assassinated in Reynosa.

Answer 25

Valentin Elizalde

Question 26

Legendary Mexican bandit whose exploits during the California Gold Rush were immortalized in a corrido; this represents an early example of an immigrant narrative.

Answer 26

Joaquin Murrieta

Question 27

Influential American folk singer & songwriter; his “Deportee” exemplifies both his political and social activism and his knowledge and use of corrido form.

Answer 27

Woody Guthrie

Question 28

Mexican singer/songwriter, known as “el amo del corrido,” who primarily wrote narcocorridos, many of them made famous by Los Tigres del Norte, but also wrote some corridos addressing immigration, such as “El Vagon de la Muerte”.

Answer 28

Paulino Vargas

Question 29

Influential Mexican singer and songwriter, his song “Canción 187” exemplifies the mainstream Mexican view of immigration.

Answer 29

Juan Gabriel

Question 30

Alternative rock band, formed in Mexico City in 1985, that combines elements of ska, rock, and traditional Mexican music in a celebration of street culture but it also criticism of social issues; their song “Mojado” is a classic example of mainstream Mexican views of immigration.

Answer 30

Maldita Vecindad

Question 31

Mexican pop rock band, formed in Guadalajara in 1986, that often incorporates elements of música tropical to comment on social issues; their song “Pobre Juan” exemplifies mainstream Mexican views of immigration.

Answer 31

Mana

Question 32

Mexican rap-metal band, formed in Mexico City in 1995, famous for their irreverent take on social issues and their extensive use of bilingual lyrics, which results in partly from drummer Randy Ebright being being American.

Answer 32

Molotov

Question 33

Mexican-born guitar virtuoso who pioneered Latin rock fusion and has collaborated with many other notable musicians from both sides of the border.

Answer 33

Carlos Santana

Question 34

Mexican-born singer, composer, and anthropologist who grew up traveling back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico and mixes Mexican folk music, blues, jazz and rock among others; she is the quintessential binational artist.

Answer 34

Lila Downs

Question 35

U.S. alternative band, formed in California but based in Tucson, whose eclectic mix of genres including mariachi, surf, jazz, pop, and country among others defies categorization.

Answer 35

Calexico

Question 36

Mexican DJ and electronic artist based in Tijuana who was among the founders of Nortec Collective and mixes norteño samples with electronica to create a distinctive sound.

Answer 36

Pepe Mogt