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Los Angeles Times
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Fans, drag queens remember Paquita la del Barrio
Periodically, the Latinx Files will feature a guest writer. This week, we've asked De Los contributing columnist Alex Zaragoza to fill in. If you have not subscribed to our weekly newsletter, you can do so here. The world has lost its greatest soldier against machistas, malagradecidos and inútiles. Música Mexicana legend Paquita la del Barrio died in her home in Veracruz, Mexico, announced in a heartfelt statement released via her official Instagram page on Feb. 17. She was 77. 'A unique and inimitable artist who leaves an indelible mark in the hearts of all those who knew her and enjoyed her music … Rest in peace,' the statement reads. 'Your music and legacy will live on forever in our hearts.' Born Francisca Viveros Barradas in 1947 in Alto Lucero, Veracruz, Paquita became an icon across Latin America — particularly in her native Mexico — with anthemic rancheras and boleros delivered with an impassioned venom that became her trademark, along with her electric blond coif and darkened chin mole. She became a beacon to women who have been wronged, telling it like it was with ferocity. With 'Rata de Dos Patas,' she gifted scorned women the ultimate spite jam to be sung loudly, lately and with breath thickened by tequila. On 'Tres Veces te Engañe,' she confronts a useless partner with a guttural '¿Me estás oyendo, inútil? ' and lets him know he's deserving to be cheated on. It's no wonder why her music was a constant in the kitchens of generations of women tired of cleaning up after ungrateful men. But it's not just señoras who felt a kinship with Paquita. Drag queens and Latinx celebrity impersonators have long brought their version of the late singer to the stage, mimicking her slow, creaky walk, elegant posture and rage-filled vocal delivery with affection. 'If you do somebody like Paquita, you have to understand her mannerisms and her way of standing there commanding a stage,' explained drag queen Torta Jugosa, who performs as Paquita at the Long Beach location of the famed drag restaurant Hamburger Mary's. She hosts a drag show called Mujeres Chingonas, where she and other queens honor Latinx divas like Paquita, Jenni Rivera and Selena. 'And the mole is a staple. When you think of Paquita, you think of the mole.' 'For me, impersonating Paquita, you have to get yourself in that position mentally, like 'I'm heartbroken. I just want to unleash on someone,'' added Carlos Friel, who performs as Carla and has been doing Paquita drag in L.A. for the last year. 'It's kind of limited because she didn't dance. There was not a lot of choreo. You have to perform with your face, with your hands, and you have to really feel the song. You have to believe it. 'I hate you right now, you are the one who hurt me.'' Despite Paquita's death, the impersonators and drag queens I spoke to doubled down on their commitment to honor her moves, music and, of course, the mole, keeping her alive for fans and introducing her for generations to come. 'I received a lot of calls the day that she died, sending me condolences as if she were my family,' said Rubén Cerros, a professional imitator of 14 years who is widely considered one of the best Paquita la del Barrio impersonators in the industry, having shown off his talent on the Colombian reality competition series 'Yo Me Llamo,' winning the grand prize in 2012. 'In reality, I did see her as family because I got to meet her personally,' he added. 'Without Paquita, without having imitated her, I wouldn't have been known to so many people. I've always done my imitation with respect to the lady and, because of that, her death has already changed life for me with more work and more blessings.' In body and scowl, Paquita radiated like the Disney villain Ursula — a character also inspired by a drag queen, famed actor and performer Divine — but in spirit and heart was far from the sea-dwelling witch who stole an innocent mermaid's voice. Quite the opposite, actually. For many women, particularly those who have been mistreated and disrespected by the men in their lives, Paquita gave them a voice to dress down a man who deserved their righteous ire. That's something important impersonators and drag queens have always wanted to channel. 'She wasn't afraid at all,' Jugosa said. 'With Paquita, she represented a lot of women and gave courage to them. Like, you can be who you want to be without having to have a man by your side. You can, as they say, wear the pants in the relationship. She was an advocate to women who didn't have a voice and gave courage to them to speak up and live their own lives the way they want to.' It's that fearlessness and unshakable sense of self that is inspirational to so many and now in death, bringing Paquita la del Barrio to life carries more weight. 'Now you have to honor her legacy,' said Friel. 'If you are performing Paquita now, you have to bring the best memories of her to people.' Years back, I went to a queer bar in Tijuana with my mom and her friend, Richi, a gay santero who after a reading in my mom's kitchen insisted we take in a drag show. Amid a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, we knocked back a cold Pacifico and watched the stage light up as a Paquita la del Barrio drag queen stepped onto the stage. She moved in her same slow, measured manner, as if weighed down by the aches of dealing with a-holes for too damn long. But behind the arthritic movements was the same fierceness emblematic of Paquita. If there were any rats in that room — four-legged or two — they didn't stand a chance. Venezuelans sue Trump administration for ending temporary legal protections A group of seven Venezuelans, along with advocacy group National TPS Alliance, are suing the Trump administration, accusing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of illegally revoking an 18-month extension of the protections for Venezuelans that was granted by President Biden before he left office. Puerto Rican artist iLe: 'I feel motivated to rescue our cultural history' In between recording her fourth solo studio album, Ileana Mercedes Cabra Joglar — better known by her artistic name iLe — has scheduled a handful of international tour dates, including Friday's show at the Wallis in Beverly Hills. 'The concerts help me to escape whenever the seclusion of working on an album becomes too much,' she tells contributor Ernesto Lechner. 'I'm working on the new record in small increments, trying to decipher a couple of things that I can't quite verbalize at this point. It's a process that requires a lot of energy, time and dedication. The challenge remains to continue learning and exploring, to get to know myself a little better through my own songs.' Column: Republican Latinos are rising in California. Now there's a caucus for them For his latest column, Gustavo Arellano spoke to State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares and Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, founding co-chairs of the California Hispanic Legislative Caucus, a group created for Latino GOP legislators. TikTok's top artist Yeri Mua gets real on immigration, Bellakath beef De Los contributor Lucas Villa spoke to Yeri Mua, the fiery, red-haired reggaeton mexa star who recently became the No. 1 global artist on TikTok, about being a woman in a male-dominated space, collaborating with Rich the Kid, ending her feud with fellow musician Bellakath and her personal experience of being deported from the U.S. with her family at age 13. Comedy star Keyla Monterroso Mejia is only shining brighter Inland Empire native Keyla Monterroso Mejia has come a long way from living in her aunt's back house with her family. Her big break came after she was cast in the final two seasons of HBO's 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' in 2021. She has since appeared on 'Abbott Elementary,' comedy films 'One of Them Days' and 'You're Cordially Invited,' and will be featured in Mindy Kaling's Netflix comedy series 'Running Point' (out Feb. 27), Seth Rogen's upcoming Apple TV show 'The Studio' (March 26) and the Season 4 cast of 'Acapulco,' a bilingual comedy series led by Mexican star Eugenio Derbez. ' Life surprises me every time with things that I didn't even think were possible for myself,' Monterroso Mejia told De Los staff writer Andrea Flores. 'So I feel like in that sense, I'm going to keep going. I'm ready to receive whatever you want to throw my way.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Famed Mexican singer and actress Paquita la del Barrio has died at 77
Famed Mexican singer, actress and champion for women Paquita la del Barrio died at her home in Mexico. Paquita's marketing team took to X on Monday to announce the death of the 77-year-old best known for her songs 'Rata de Dos Patas,' 'Las Mujeres Mandan' and 'Tres Veces Te Engañé,' tunes that criticized misogyny and men who cheat. The social media post in Spanish said that with profound pain and sadness, they confirmed the death of the beloved Paquita la del Barrio at her home in Veracruz. Additionally, the post said Paquita was a one-of-a-kind and unmatched artist who left a permanent mark in the hearts of all who knew her and enjoyed her music. A representative of the singer in Mexico informed Billboard Español that she died of a heart attack while she was sleeping. Rolling Stone reported that earlier this year, Paquita battled health issues and had been seen using oxygen. She postponed a concert in Mexico earlier this year to recover. Paquita previously performed in the U.S., including concerts in California. She performed at the Toyota Arena in Ontario in 2023, according to Concert Archives. Many say Paquita was known best for her 'feminist anthems,' which were born from real-life experience. At 16, she married Miguel Gerardo, a man 28 years her senior. That marriage ended seven years later when she discovered he had another wife and family. Her second husband, Alfonso Martinez, died in 2000 after 31 years of marriage, USA Today reported. "Life happens, some good things and some bad – but we've got to move on, keep fighting," she told USA TODAY in 2021, ahead of receiving a special honor at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. "I got married for a second time and it was the same sacrilege and sacrifice of living with a man you know is being unfaithful," she added. Paquita, whose birth name was Francisca Viveros Barradas, was born in Veracruz and started her career as a performer in Mexico City, according to several news sources. 'Her powerful voice earned her a recording contract in the late 80s, and she quickly compiled a lengthy catalogue of more than 30 albums that extended into the late 2010s,' according to Rolling Stone. Paquita's 2013 album Romeo Y Su Nieta earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Regional Mexican Music Album. Victorville resident Ricardo Avila told the Daily Press that he and his late mother, Silvia, were big fans of Paquita. "When I was a kid, my mom would wake up and start the day listening to Paquita la del Barrio,' Avila said. 'After a while, that music started growing on me.' Avila said that he often plays Paquita's music, which 'overwhelms' him with 'happy memories' of his mother. With a career that spanned over five decades, Paquita received many awards, including the 2011 Billboard Regional Mexican Music Award 'La Voz.' Ten years later, the singer was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. As a child, Paquita showcased her powerful voice at school festivals. In the 1970s, the singer formed the duo Las Golondrinas with her sister Viola, and in 1984, she released her debut album, El Barrio de los Faroles, as Paquita la del Barrio, according to Billboard. The singer went on to record over 30 albums, which sold more than 30 million copies, with hits that also include 'Las Mujeres Mandan,' 'La Última Parada,' 'Me Saludas a la Tuya,' 'Soltero Maduro, Chiquito' and 'Hombres Malvados.' Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@ Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Famed Mexican singer and actress Paquita la del Barrio has died
