Yucatecan Song Museum

Sala 1.- Antecedentes musicales de Yucatán: This room focuses on presenting both the pre-Hispanic antecedents of Yucatecan music and those related to the colonial era following the conquest. Explanatory texts about the history of Yucatán and the various musical expressions such as the Yucatecan jarana, which originated from the mestizaje begun in the 16th century, are displayed. Maya musical instruments such as the tunkul, flutes, ocarinas, the conch shell, the tortoise shell, small drums, the zacatán, the trumpet and Maya rattles are also shown. Sala 2.- Los precursores de la canción yucateca: The second half of the 19th century was the foundational period of the musical movement known as the Yucatecan trova. A room presents photographs of Mérida from that era, as well as original scores and working material of those who propelled the genre from its beginnings, particularly the patriarch of Yucatecan song, Chan Cil. The room includes audio equipment that lets visitors listen to the original compositions — music and songs — dating from the early 20th century. Sala 3.- Guty Cárdenas: Augusto Cárdenas Pinelo, Guty Cárdenas, was perhaps the greatest of the Yucatecan troubadours and composers in the early 20th century. He died young at 26 in Mexico City; he profoundly influenced the development and evolution of Yucatecan music. A room is dedicated to him, displaying objects that belonged to him and the lyrics of his songs, as well as others he set to music. Notable among these are pieces by Ricardo Palmerín (Peregrina), Ricardo López Méndez (el Vate) (Nunca), and Antonio Mediz Bolio (Caminante del Mayab). Chalín Cámara, his fellow troubadour and “second” voice in a classic duo that rose to fame from New York in the 1920s, appears in photographs accompanying Guty. Sala 4.- Dedicada a la época de oro: This space presents the works of authors and composers who stood out between 1900 and 1950, including the other two great figures of all time: Ricardo Palmerín and Pepe Domínguez. Audio material is also available in this room allowing listeners to hear their original versions of timeless songs such as El pájaro azul, a poem by Manuel Díaz Massa and sung by the author of the music, Pepe Domínguez, among many other famous works. Sala 5.- Época contemporánea: There is another room dedicated to prominent authors and composers from the second half of the 20th century, from 1950 to the present. Notable works include those by: Luis Espinosa Alcalá, known as the Musical Poet of the Mayab; Ermilo (Chispas) Padrón and Pastor Cervera Rosado, called by López Méndez the last bohemian. Also notable are materials and works by Enrique (Coqui) Navarro and Juan Acereto Manzanilla. Sala 6.- De poetas y compositores: There is also a space dedicated to poets whose inspiration helped elevate Yucatecan song to a model of romantic poetry in Latin America. This room also pays homage to renowned lyricists who helped position the trova of Yucatán among Mexico’s favorite genres from the 1930s to the 1960s; recently added are the names and portraits of Fernando Espejo Méndez and Rómulo Rozo. Sala 7.- Armando Manzanero: A dedicated room honoring Armando Manzanero for his great inspiration and success across a long career. Sala 8.- There is a pictorial gallery with oil portraits (68) of the most prominent authors and composers, by the renowned Yucatec painter Alonso Gutiérrez Espinosa. Finally, there is an interactive gallery that provides a summary of the museum’s content and anecdotes about those on display.