According to the residents of Cocula, México, Vicente Fernandez ‘lacks the merits’ needed in order to receive a commemorative monument. Many residents of Cocula, a town in the western state of Jalisco and considered by many the birth place of mariachi music, opposed the construction of a monument honoring the famous musician.
Fernandez is considered one of the icons of Mexican music. In February, he announced his upcoming retirement after a 45 year career singing and acting. According to the director of Public Works in Cocula, Daniel Montelongo, the purpose of constructing this statue would be to attract more tourists to the small town of 14,000 people.
Yet, Rubén Rivera Solís, an opponent of the proposed monument, argues, according to El Brasero, that Fernandez is not worthy of such an honor due to the fact that he, “has never sang the Cocula song at his concerts.” Yet, Fernandez would not be the only honoree in Cocula. The town also plans to unveil monuments depicting singer, Jorge Negrete, composer Manuel Esperón as well as musician Ernesto Cortázar who gave fame to the song “Cocula” which is a popular melody of Mexican music. Other honorees include singers Pedro Infante, Lucha Reyes and Antonio Aguilar.
Montelongo dismissed the critics as a ‘small group of people’ and assured that the sculpture, created by the artist Salvador Andrade, is ready to be unveiled as soon as Fernandez arrives for the inauguration.
A notice was sent to Fernandez at the beginning of the year requesting his approval of an inauguration date. Yet Fernandez has yet to respond to the request. He has not returned to Cocula since the beginning of his career.
