Introduction

Between 1884-1885, the World’s Cotton Exposition took place in New Orleans, with the main purpose of commemorating the centenary of the first shipment of cotton from the U.S. to England. Despite the fact that the main theme of the exposition was cotton and its various industrial and commercial uses, it was also a showcase for the artistic production of Latin American countries such as Brazil, Guatemala, Venezuela, Honduras, and Mexico. Among the Latin American participants, the Mexican exhibit stood out due to its ambition and variety, presenting items ranging from minerals and jewelry to the so-called Alhambra palace, which was an octagonal Moorish style building. Nevertheless, the Mexican exhibit acquired popularity not for its expensive Alhambra palace, but for the performance of the Mexican army’s Eighth Cavalry Military Band, directed by Encarnación Payén. During the World’s Cotton Exposition, the Mexican Band popularized habanera and danza music in New Orleans, to such an extent that the Band and its interpretations became influential among the precursor jazz musicians of New Orleans. For instance, in 1885, W.T. Francis (a future influential ragtime and jazz composer of New Orleans) composed a popular dance called “The Cactus,” which was a sort of Mexican dance with ragtime treble and Spanish bass. From now on, I will try to point out the musical and cultural interconnections between Mexican music and American popular music from New Orleans. My conclusion will be that even though the 1884 World’s Cotton Exposition had an industrial and commercial purpose, it also produced a cultural exchanged that affected the XIX century “popular culture” of the American southeast.