On February 17, 2025, Paquita la del Barrio (Paquita, the One of the Neighborhood), renowned as the queen of the “breakup bolero”, died while she slept through the night in her home located in Xalapa, Veracruz, due to an acute heart attack. She was 77.
Francisca Viveros Barrandas was her real name. She was also born in the state of Veracruz, in 1947. Specialized in the genre of ranchera music and other traditional styles of Mexican folk music, Paquita la del Barrio sang mercilessly, with her powerful and scathing voice, to the unfaithful men. Her powerful voice and resentful ballads will remain etched in the hearts of her fans.
Throughout her career, Paquita la del Barrio received various recognitions for her contribution to Mexican music. In 2021, she was awarded the Billboard Award for Artistic Career, highlighting her influence and legacy in the music industry. In addition, her most famous song, “Rata de dos patas” (two-legged rat) has remained as a hymn of heartbreak and female empowerment, being covered by several artists and consolidating its place in the history of Latin music.
A Woman With a Deep Catholic Faith
Paquita la del Barrio was always a Catholic woman of faith and never hid her respect and gratitude to God. Above all, there is a very important aspect that was present in her life and it is her profound devotion to St. Mary Magdalene.
In her homes in Mexico City and Veracruz, she had paintings and images of Christ, our Lord, including a photographic composition in which Jesus Christ is shown alive but surrounded by several photographs of his face at different times, and a large painting of the Last Supper placed in the center of her dining room.
Her Troubled Marriages would Fuel her Songwriting
The life of Francisca Viveros, Paquita la del Barrio, was not easy. Growing up in poverty she was forced to abandon school after the end of sixth grade. She could not attend middle school. Riding a mule to run errands, Paquita learned to sing. This would distract her mind to overcome the fear of being alone on the roads.
As a teen, and then as an adult, she faced the emotional pain of two failed marriages due to infidelity. The first time, it was with a man 28 years older and actually married to another woman. Paquita was not aware that he was married until later, when she had given birth to two boys already. She left him and married another man years later. Paquita gave birth to a pair of twins. Both died after birth, following the death of her mother which had happened to pass only a few days earlier.
After 31 years of being together with her second husband, she discovered that he had been unfaithful to her. She found he had 12-year-old daughter with a different woman. Her second marriage came to an end —these painful breakups would fuel Paquita la del Barrio’s songwriting.
A Profound Devotion to St. Mary Magdalene
The Gospel According to Luke (8:2-3) presents Mary Magdalene as healed by Jesus, becoming then his follower and disciple. That healing encounter with Jesus is what many of us need, so in Mary Magdalene, we have a precious example. Every July 22 we celebrate St. Mary Magdalene. People ask for her intercession before God to obtain physical, emotional or spiritual healing.
The sorrows that afflicted Paquita through her life drew her close to Mary Magdalene, deepening her devotion to the saint. Paquita’s love and devotion to St. Mary Magdalene were such, that she even built a little chapel dedicated to her in her house in Alto Lucero, in the Xico municipality, Veracruz. This same city hosts the Parish of St. Mary Magdalene, built in 1772 and listed in 2005 in the catalog of historical monuments of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico.
Paquita also composed a prayer of intercession to St. Mary Magdalene, and gave a copy to all her staff for them to pray together with her.
Before Her Recitals, Paquita Entrusted Herself to God
Before entering the stage, Paquita always traced herself with the Sign of the Cross, kissed a cross formed by her thumb and her index finger, kissed the cross she wore on her chest and then threw a kiss up —a self-made ritual she would never miss before a recital.
Every evening, before going to sleep, Paquita la del Barrio entrusted herself to God, and said the prayer that she herself had written to ask for the intercession of St. Mary Magdalene.
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