Not only did Paquita la del Barrio blaze a trail for women in música mexicana, she also rallied against the misogyny that ran rampant in the genre from the moment she stepped onto the music scene. For more than three decades, the Mexican powerhouse took down cheating men in her songs, confronting them and refusing to take any bullshit.
Paquita died on Monday at age 77. Throughout her career, she never held back, and she was never afraid to unleash her vengeance. Her breakup anthems were also multigenerational, with one of her most famous songs “Rata de Dos Patas” referenced in Becky and Karol G’s smash “Mamiii” in 2022. Paquita later offered words of advice to Shakira after she released her diss track “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” which was aimed at her ex Gerard Piqué. “Give it your all. The important thing is that you have your children, someone to live for and everything in life, Mija. Don’t worry,” she wrote in a message. Bad Bunny also famously showed her love at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Paquita la del Barrio songs had an indelible impact not only in música mexicana, but in Latin music broadly. Here are five of her best songs that capture the fearless spirit of the “Warrior of Bolero.”
“Rata de Dos Patas” (2001)
“Rata de Dos Patas” is Paquita la del Barrio’s pièce de résistance. In the emotional ranchera song, released in 2001, she unleashed her fury at an unfaithful ex, comparing him to a rat and to vermin, and declaring him “the scum of life.” Paquita dug in even deeper and described the guy’s hardware as “chiquito” (very small). Becky G and Karol G later alluded to the song in their breakup anthem “Mamiii.”
“Tres Veces Te Engañe” (1993)
“Tres Veces Te Engañe” was an anthem with a tit-for-tat message, letting a cheater know two could play his game. In the cathartic mariachi song, she let her former partner know that she had done the same to him three times over. “¿Me estas oyendo inútil?” Paquita asked him, which means “Are you hearing me, useless man?”
“Me Saludas a La Tuya” (1998)
Paquita la del Barrio went scorched earth in the fiery “Me Saludas a La Tuya.” While tearing her ex a new one in the ranchera song, she also took aim at her suegra (mother-in-law). “Say hi to yours for me,” she winkingly belted, which can double in Mexican slang as another way to say “fuck off.” Once again, she referred to her ex as an “inútil” and later playfully revived the insult and lobbed it at Bad Bunny with a wink at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
“Taco Placero” (2001)
Paquita went for the jugular in the playful “Taco Placero,” released in 2021. She compared their disappointing sex life to an unfulfilling dinner. In Spanish, Paquita belted, “I expected you to be a whole meal that night, but I ended up finding out you are the worst at everything / You ended up being a bland taco.” In addition to being a classic, the song also feels like the most scathing Yelp review ever.
“El Consejo” with Ana Bárbara (2020)
Paquita la del Barrio didn’t slow down her musical output or demanding touring schedule later in life. In 2020, she teamed up with grupera queen Ana Bárbara for empowering “El Consejo,” where she shared her advice on love. Paquita also once again invoked her iconic phrases like “Rata de Dos Patas” and “¿Me estas oyendo inútil?” in the song that showed the sisterhood of women in música mexicana.