I want to tell you about a song on my forthcoming album, We’ll Tell Stories, that is very special to me.
I wrote El Corrido de Suaqui to tell the story of my mom’s hometown in Sonora, Mexico, that was among three villages destroyed in 1964 to make way for a dam.
The people of Suaqui were told that their community, which had existed peacefully for 400 years, was not as important as the need to provide electricity for the region and more water for corporate agriculture. They were forced out, leaving behind their way of life, traditions and remains of their ancestors whose tombs now sit at the bottom of Lake Novillo. This picture shows the ruins of a church that becomes visible when the lake recedes.
It’s heartbreaking to hear my family talk about Suaqui and all that was taken from them “in the name of progress.” The people and history of Suaqui cannot be forgotten. I’m proud to tell this story because as my nana told me, “To remember is to live. Recordar es vivir.”
#VivaSuaqui #Corridos #Songwriting#FolkMusic #History #Family#NewMusic #Sonora