While many forms of political expression faced censorship throughout Latin American history, Chile’s revolutionary folk music emerged in the late 1950s as a powerful cultural force that would fundamentally reshape the nation’s musical landscape and political consciousness. This musical movement, later known as Nueva canción, began as a revival of traditional Chilean folklore but quickly evolved into something more politically potent and culturally significant.
At the heart of this transformation was Violeta Parra, often called the “Queen Mother of Latin American folk,” whose tireless work collecting rural melodies and infusing them with social themes created a foundation for musical activism. In the early 1960s, Parra established La Peña de Los Parra in Santiago, which became an epicenter for musicians to exchange ideas and develop this emerging sound characterized by indigenous instruments like the quena and zampoñas. The melodies typically employed pentatonic scales that oscillated between major and minor modes, creating the genre’s distinctive emotional resonance. Cuban singer Silvio Rodríguez would later acknowledge Parra’s profound influence on protest music throughout the region.
Violeta Parra’s genius transformed rural Chilean melodies into powerful vehicles for social change, creating a musical revolution that echoed across Latin America.
The movement gained momentum with Víctor Jara, who expanded the genre’s instrumental palette and sharpened its political critique. Jara’s music directly addressed government abuses and championed working-class struggles, helping the movement spread throughout Latin America until his brutal murder following the 1973 military coup. His torture and execution transformed him into a martyr for the cause, symbolizing the regime’s hostility toward artistic expression.
Key musical collectives like Quilapayún (formed in 1965) and Inti-Illimani (1967) further developed the movement by incorporating Mapuche and Aymara languages and traditional instrumentation, creating a distinctive sound that embodied regional identity. The movement reached its political peak when the song “Venceremos” became the official campaign hymn for Salvador Allende’s successful presidential bid. Musicians often practiced with focused segments of compositions to master the technical complexities while maintaining the emotional authenticity essential to the movement’s impact. Many of these artists later supported themselves through sync licensing opportunities, placing their politically charged music in documentaries about Latin American history.
These groups famously performed “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido,” which became an anthem of resistance. Following the 1973 coup, Pinochet’s military government banned Nueva canción performances and broadcasts, even prohibiting indigenous instruments like the charango due to their association with political resistance. This censorship forced many artists underground or into exile as the regime attempted to silence this powerful form of cultural expression.
