Publication Date

Fall 8-26-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MS)

Committee Chair

Dr. Daniel Scott

Committee Member

Dr. Nilda Garcia

Committee Member

Dr. Narim Lee

Committee Member

Dr. Huseyin Cinoglu

Abstract

Narcocorridos have become one of the most recognized expressions of narcoculture in Mexico. Despite growing scholarly interest in narcoculture, relatively few studies have examined how cartel leaders are represented across narcocorridos. This study addresses this gap by examining the symbolic representations of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, and Amado Carrillo Fuentes in narcocorrido lyrics. The study is guided by cultural criminology and subculture theory; this study employed a qualitative research design using reflexive thematic analysis. A purposive sample of 25 narcocorridos was analyzed to identify recurring patterns in the representation of cartel leadership. As a result, six themes were identified and developed through inductive coding; which are, Leadership and Authority, Violence and Coercion, Organized Crime as an Economic Enterprise, Legendary and Mythical Representation, State-Cartel Collaboration and Corruption, and Enemy Opposition and Mockery. The findings suggest that narcocorridos tend to represent cartel leaders as powerful, and respected figures that use violence as a means of control. The findings also suggest that narcocorridos are stories that convey social implications of organized crime and not only historical events, as the traditional corrido form used to. While this study cannot link narcocorridos to individual behavior, it does identify that the songs are symbolic to the structure and normalization of cartel leadership in narcoculture.

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