In Cancun, one of Mexico’s main tourist destinations, the public broadcasting of narcocorridos, popular songs that glorify drug trafficking, has been banned on the grounds that they attract violent people. This censorship is applied within the framework of the municipal regulation of public spectacles, which prohibits events that incite violence and has affected the performance of concerts by artists such as Grupo Firme and El Komander.
The authorities of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, have pointed out that these events are often associated with outbreaks of violence and have therefore ordered that concerts that promote violence not be held. Mayor Ana Patricia Peralta has supported this measure.
The stricter application of this regulation has been supported by Julio Villarreal, leader of Cancun’s restaurant businessmen, who assures that more than 90% of the businesses affiliated with the national chamber of the restaurant industry have stopped playing narcocorridos in their establishments because their lyrics make reference to violence and drug use.
Cancun joins other Mexican cities that have banned the public broadcasting of narcocorridos, such as Ciudad Juárez and Mexicali. Since 1987, narcocorrido has also been banned in the state of Sinaloa, the birthplace of Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán’s cartel.
The move comes at a time when the regional Mexican genre, including narcocorridos, has experienced an international boom, with new artists topping the charts. However, Cancun has been affected by drug-related violence, especially in the retail drug trade, which has generated concern in the region’s tourism sector.