Circulation and Memory in Villancico de Negro: The Representation of Africans and Afro-Descendants from Siglo de Oro to Son Jarocho

Abstract This article assesses the connections between 17th-century Hispanic American religious Villancicos de negro (also known as guineos or negrillas), along with secular theatre from the Modern Age, and the living Mexican tradition of Son Jarocho, particularly the Jarocho dance–song (son) known as Son de los Negritos. Therefore, I implement a methodology that links perspectives from historical musicology and ethnomusicology. This concatenation considers the continuity and memory in oral and written tradition. By doing so, I seek to discuss the impact of these transatlantic repertoires on the historical Afro-descendant communities in Mexico and the Spanish Empire of the Modern Age.