Mexico commemorated today the centenary of the birth of the actor and singer Pedro Infante, the idol that 60 years after his death remains in force in the Mexican imagination with 61 films and 430 songs.
A mass in the old Basilica of Guadalupe attended by his grandson José Manuel Infante, and a river of followers who came to his tomb to sing his songs marked the centenary of the singer born on November 18, 1917 in Mazatlán, state Northwest of Sinaloa.
José Manuel, grandson of the singer and son of Pedro Infante Jr, arrived at the Basilica accompanied by dozens of fans of the “immortal” Mexican singer for the Mass celebrated with the mariachi “Alma de México” in charge of the religious chants.
Throughout the day, hundreds of followers took flowers and sang their songs before the tomb of Pedro Infante in a pantheon of Mexico City where he was buried after his death on April 15, 1957 in a plane crash that he manned.
The centenary of the “idol of Guamuchil”, the city in which he spent his childhood, was joined by cultural authorities with an exhibition of photographs of the actor in the Metro Bellas Artes gallery in Mexico City.
The exhibition “Forever, Pedro Infante” represents a sensitive tribute to a prominent artist of our filmic and musical heritage, who recorded his indelible mark on the social imaginary and the hearts of Mexicans, “said Lidia Camacho, director of the National Institute of Fine arts.
The National Cineteca celebrated the hundred years of its birth with a cycle of its films, like “The three GarcÃa” (1946), “The black sheep” (1949), “Two types of care” (1952), “ATM A all machine! ” (1951) to be exhibited from November 21 to 30.
To the celebrations of his centenary Google joined with one of his animated “doodle” as those dedicated to personalities, places and objects of great cultural relevance.
Along with his cinematographic career, Pedro Infante triumphed as a singer with the interpretation of 430 songs, among them hits that are still valid as “Amorcito Corazón”, “No volveré”, “El mil amores”, “Bésame mucho”, ” One hundred years “and the theme of” Las Mañanitas “.
According to the Spotify music site, Pedro Infante has 470,190 monthly listeners and his songs such as “Cien años”, “Amorcito corazón” and “Las Mañanitas” accumulate more than 8.4 million reproductions.
Beyond a successful film and musical career, Infante remains present in the Mexican imaginary with a popularity similar to that of Argentinean tango singer Carlos Gardel, who also died in a plane crash.
Infante participated in 61 films including “Nosotros los pobres” (1947) and “Ustedes los Ricos” (1948), possibly the best known of his career and in which he gave life to the character of Pepe el Toro and sang “Amorcito Corazón” .
In his musical career, Pedro Infante performed several of José Alfredo Jiménez’s compositions as “Ella” and “un mundo raro” and also the urban composer Chava Flores (1920-1987) as “Carta a Eufemia” and “La tertulia”.
