Abstract
In Mexico City, son jarocho is a traditional music and dance form widely associated with nonviolent political activism. During the massive protests in response to the abduction of 43 students in 2014, the Jaranero Contingent for Ayotzinapa, a collective of son jarocho practitioners, presented the public with a counterhegemonic performance of history by “tuning” its traditional repertoire to frame contemporary struggles. By mobilizing its improvisatory discipline, it constructed a dialogue with the march itself—harnessing the sonic potential of the streets to reframe sites of collective memory.
El son jarocho es una forma tradicional de música y danza que, en la Ciudad de México, se asocia ampliamente con el activismo político no violento. Durante las protestas masivas en respuesta al secuestro de 43 estudiantes en 2014, el Contingente Jaranero para Ayotzinapa, un colectivo de practicantes de son jarocho, presentaron al público una interpretación contrahegemónica de la historia al “afinar” su repertorio tradicional para enmarcar las luchas contemporáneas. Al movilizar su disciplina improvisadora construyeron un diálogo con la marcha misma, aprovechando el potencial sonoro de las calles para replantear los sitios de memoria colectiva.
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