History of Boleros...

Moving on from environmental issues, not that they shouldn't be addressed or that they get the attention it deserves. Here is a brief look into the history of the Mexican Boleros. Mexican Bolero is modernly known as a romantic ballad that is rich in history (as I found out during my research for a music class at Cal State Long Beach).


I decided to do research on Bolero music because I grew up listening to boleros and my mother is a huge fan. I grew up listening to Los Panchos, Eydie Gorme and other various artists. I wanted to know about the history of boleros and how they got to be so popular in Mexico. I was very surprised by my findings, I had no idea there was so much information about Boleros and so much history in difference countries.

Classic Bolero - Amor Eterno:



I decided to focus on three types of Boleros from three different regions/countries; Spain, Cuba and Mexico. I will briefly introduce the Spanish and Cuban bolero and go into further details with the Mexican bolero. My research was mainly on the Mexican bolero.

What is a bolero? In Spain it is a dance closely related to the Rumba. In Cuba it is dance music which evolved from Trova. In Mexico, it is commonly known as a romantic ballad.

The Spanish bolero is a moderately slow tempo and is performed to music which is sung and accompanied by Castanets and Guitars with lyrics. Seguidilla’s Boleras is the name given to boleros when they are sung and accompanied by guitar.

The dance was known to be for the noble, it is modestly danced and it is restrained due to its specific footwork. Bolero is Spain’s National Dance. Santiago Carezo, a dancer, is credited with inventing the dance in 1780. The bolero dance is composed of five parts; The Paseo, the traversa, the differencias, the finales and the bien parado.

One of my favorite Boleros - Sabor a Mi:



The Cuban bolero evolved from the Cuban genre known as Trova in the city of Santiago during the late 19th century. Jose “Pepe” Sanchez, born in Santiago de Cuba 1856-1910, is known as the father of the trova style and the creator of the Cuban bolero. He composed “Tristezas,” the first Cuban bolero. One of the most important Cuban trios was Trio Matamoros, and its leader – Miguel Matamoros. Matamoros was one of Cuba’s most productive composers. In Cuba, the bolero is usually written in 2/4 times, elsewhere it is often a 4/4. The Cuban bolero traveled to Mexico and the rest of Latin America.

The bolero arrived in Mexico in the first part of the twentieth century, via Veracruz and Yucatan, the ports of entry for all things Cuban (Pedelty, 146).

The bolero name is derived from the Spanish volar (to fly), demonstrating its derivation from an earlier, much faster and more frenetic Cuban dance music (Pedelty, 146).

In Mexico the bolero was softened and became more of a romantic ballad. Post revolutionary era, the people who had left their little hometowns and moved to the big city – Mexico City. The residents were looking to fit in and evolve, so the Corrido’s became history as they emerged themselves into the latest Bolero culture. Boleros replaced the rural Corrido bold promotion of great men, brave horses and enduring love, epic betrayals and strong moral convictions.


Noche De Ronda by Agustin Lara - One of his most famous songs:



Agustin “El Flaco de Oro” Lara, pianist and composer, and Guty Cardenas, Yucatecan bolerista, are credited for birthing the modern Mexican bolero. According to a story, Lara was playing piano in a brothel, Cardenas introduced Lara to his Yucatecan style boleros and he was “smitten.” According to the story, it was in that “pleasurable world” that the modern Mexican bolero was born.

Lara composed one of the most popular boleros, Noche de Ronda, which illustrated the boleros strong sense of loss and longing. Other boleros which depict strong feelings such as: “Lamento Jarocho” – Lament, “Triste Recuerdo” – Sadness, “Dos Palomas al Volar” – soft betrayal.

Urban people at first came in contact with boleros by attending inexpensive live shows, brothels, and theatrical reviews and in the 1920’s via radio and dance halls. In the next decade it continued onto films which formed the core of the post revolutionary culture and mass media.

The Mexican Golden Age of film began 1930’s and went till the 1950’s. During this time boleros became themes for the movies and served as storylines. In addition, some boleristas also acted in these films. The audience would sign along when the title songs were played creating a participatory ritual rather than a passive entertainment.

Here's an old school Bolero - Cien Anos


Lara career spanned nearly 70 years. In that time, he created over 600 compositions. He became known as one Mexico’s most prolific and dearly loved musicians internationally. Most of his songs were about women. He turned Mexico boleros into a “cult of the woman.” He referred to women as “the most beautiful defect of nature and the reason for his existence.”

Contemporary bolero pop icons include: Luis Miguel, who popularized Lara’s “Noche de Ronda” and in 1997 released a CD completely dedicated to the bolero. Ana Gabriel, included several boleros in her repertoire, “Solamente una vez” was popular hit in the 80’s. Gloria Stefan was very popular in the United States. Los Tri-o, a Columbian three member group, recreated Los Panchos style music.

Interesting facts about the Mexican boleros are: Carmen de la Peza, an author, completed an extensive content analysis study and found that 98.48% of the Mexican boleros deal mainly with issues of romantic love. Also, the bolero was the first musical style in Mexico to incorporate a significant number of women musicians. Furthermore, the history of bolero traces the transformation of “mujer” from musical object to active subject.

One can't talk about Boleros and not think of Luis Miguel. Here's several of his songs... not composed by him rather sung by him:

Historia de un Amor:



No Se Tu:




Beyond Mexico, the boleros has reached the Caribbean to Columbia, Chile, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, and back to Spain. In Chile, Lucho Gatica, is a singer of romantic ballads and became a bolero performer. In the U.S., Eydie Gorme and Vicky Carr found fame with boleros as well. In Cuba, bandleader Antonio Machin, recorded “Tributo al Bolero Mexicano and Tributo al Bolero Cubano.”


Modern day trio - Los Tri-0 - Nuestro Amor: