La chilena mexicana es peruana: Multiculturalism, Regionalism, and Transnational Musical Currents in the Hispanic Pacific

The emblematic music of the southern states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, the chilena, thrives in one of the most ethnically diverse regions of Mexico. A broad array of subgenres, in traditional as well as contemporary hybrid styles, serves geographically and culturally distinct populations. This article examines the discourse and rhetorical strategies underlying the chilena's origin narratives and efforts to include it within the family of Mexican regional sones. Musical and social aspects of genre construction are related to historical and contemporary narratives concerning mestizaje, race, regionalism, and nation.