Paquita la del Barrio, the Mexican singer-songwriter beloved for her blistering critiques of men and machismo culture, died Monday. She was 77.
Paquita, whose legal name was Francisca Viveros Barradas, had battled health issues for years. She died at her home in Veracruz, Mexico, according to her representatives.
“She was a unique and unrepeatable artist who will leave an indelible mark in the hearts of all of us who knew her and enjoyed her music,” her team said in a social media statement.
Paquita’s biggest hits included “Rata de Dos Patas” (“Two-legged Rat”) and “Tres Veces te Engañé” (“Three Times I Cheated on You”), both of which were emblematic of her extensive catalog of sounds criticizing chauvinism and misbehaving men.
Her unapologetic and forceful music endeared her to women (and some men, too) across the U.S., Mexico and other Latin American nations.
“Women are always hurt by what men do to them,” Paquita told the Miami Herald in 2008. “I don’t sing what others sing. I sing the truth, even if the gentlemen don’t like it.”
Born April 2, 1947, in Alto Lucero, Veracruz, Paquita’s music was influenced in part by her early life. At age 15, she eloped with a much older man, only to later learn that he was already married and had another family.
After leaving him, Paquita moved to Mexico City with her sister, and they started a music career together. It was there that Paquita earned her stage name, which functionally translates as “Paquita from the block.”
Her solo career slowly built steam ahead of a 1986 Televisa performance that introduced her to all of Mexico. She married for a second time, a much longer-lasting union that continued until 2001, when her husband, Alfonso Martínez, died.
Following the Televisa performance, Paquita’s fame skyrocketed, and she was soon doing hundreds of shows — sometimes even two a night — over the next two decades. By 2008, she had released her 30th album.
“I will continue singing as long as God gives me voice,” she told the Herald. “We take life as it comes.”
Originally Published:
