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BY WENDY SODERBURG/UCLA Today Staff

   Inside the Fowler Museum of Cultural History is an exhibition that, at first, defies description. Called “Corridos Sin Fronteras: The Art of a Ballad Tradition in Mexico and the U.S.,” the exhibit displays old photos of young musicians, paperwork from court proceedings, the bust of a saint and old war memorabilia. There is a horse’s head, preserved and mounted on a wall.

   And everywhere you turn, there is music.

   “‘Corridos sin fronteras’ means ‘corridos without borders,’” explained Guillermo E. Hernandez, associate professor of Spanish and curator of the exhibition. “Corridos are narrative songs traditionally based on real events. They represent the people’s point of view, which often contradicts the official, or historic, perspective.”

   Such was the case with Francisco “Pancho” Villa, known in American history as a bandit but considered by many Mexicans to be a revolutionary war hero. Included in the exhibit is a recording of a corrido celebrating Villa’s escape from American forces.

   Other topics for corridos have included love, disasters, even horse races. The horse whose head is mounted in the exhibition was a famous racehorse named Rel‡mpago who, in 1957, won a race in northern Mexico that he was never expected to win. “If you want to know how the people feel, just listen to the corridos.”

   Hernandez, director of the Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC), came to UCLA in 1981 from UC Berkeley, where he received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in comparative literature. Although he was born in Mexico, Hernandez didn’t grow up with the corrido tradition.

   “I began studying the corrido by accident,” Hernandez recalled. “I was studying at Berkeley when I met Americo Paredes, an authority on the corrido, and Chris Strachwitz, who owns the largest collection of Mexican popular music in the world. I helped him edit some of his recordings into LPs, and he let me listen to his records.”

   Hernandez had friends at Berkeley who were from northern Mexico, so they connected him with musicians from the area. Hernandez interviewed them and also researched the actual events of several corridos. In 1991, he helped organize the First International Conference on the Corrido in Monterrey, Mexico.

   Last month, Hernandez and the CSRC staff organized several events, including the Fowler exhibition, the Third International Conference on the Corrido, a performance by Grammy Award-winning corrido group Los Tigres del Norte and a corrido film series.

   “Corridos are a form of community expression, much like the blues and jazz were before they became mainstream,” Hernandez said. “But while corridos are not yet mainstream, they are just as important and beautiful and valuable as artistic expressions.”

  “Corridos Sin Fronteras” runs through Sept. 27. For details, call (310) 825-4361.

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