Center for Latin American Studies

The proud Mexican tradition of corrido music — captured in the performances of Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte and the late Chalino Sanchez — provides both heartbeat and backbone to this rich examination of songs, drugs and dreams along the U.S./Mexico border. Al Otro Lado follows Magdiel, an aspiring corrido composer from the drug capital of Mexico, as he faces two difficult choices to better his life: to traffic drugs or to cross the border illegally into the United States. An Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Lesson Guides and Classroom Activities

Corridos and Al Otro Lado Curriculum Guide

This collection of lesson plans and classroom activities were inspired by the film Al Otro Lado (2006), a documentary about the tradition of corridos--a genre of narrative folk ballads developed in Mexico during the 1800s that share about historical events, figures, and socially relevant topics. Still popular in Mexico and Mexican-American communities, individuals continue to write and share corridos about culturally relevant topics today.