From “forgetful maiden” to muse: Brothel songs in Mexican cinema in the first half of the 20th century

During the first half of the 20th century, the Mexican capital experienced an unusual demographic growth. Among other aspects, migration and the industrialization process led to moral concerns about the transformation of urban space and the emergence of the modern woman. For its part, the Mexican state associated the syphilis epidemic of the 1920s with the proliferation of prostitution. This social framework led to an abundant production of cinema and brothel music, exemplified in genres such as bolero, danzón, and fox-trot. The projection on the screen of a taboo subject such as prostitution facilitated the dissemination of messages that were basically about morality, and in turn, about the patriarchal family ideal and the preservation of female virginity. One of the most representative examples of this type of film is Santa (1931). Aligned with the family model promoted by the post-revolutionary state that recognized women as responsible for safeguarding family values, Mexican folklorists censored brothel music genres. Brothel-themed cinema and music left little or no space to address plots other than those of romantic love, usually expressed by male characters in love with prostitutes, who ended up being the true protagonists of these stories.