When the Spaniards came to New Mexico, driven by a lust for gold, they brought with them the tradition of song which has been an inestimable treasure for succeeding generations. Their descendants and the descendants of the settlers who came north from Mexico clung to the precedent established by their ancestors; they sang old songs, composed new ones, and passed them down to their children by word of mouth transmission.
In this study an attempt has been made to trace briefly the development of the song in its various forms, from the sixteenth century to the present day canción de amor. There is many a hiatus, since as in the case of all oral lore, so much has been lost, and written records are few.
Level of Degree
Spanish and Portuguese
First Committee Member (Chair)
A. L. Barry
Second Committee Member
Third Committee Member
Komadina, Tonia Ann. "The Spanish Folksong in New Mexico." (1934). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/span_etds/67