“Corrido al Valle Central” by Nelly Paredes is a lyrical tribute to California’s Central Valley—a region where she has spent her life making a home with her late husband, and which she describes as both a place of opportunity and sacrifice. This corrido reclaims the Valley as a homeland for Mexican migrants and their descendants, emphasizing the cultural and economic contributions of immigrant communities who have long worked its fields and shaped its towns.

Written in the tradition of the regional corrido but distinct in its authorial voice, the song moves with clarity and pride. Paredes names the crops, towns, and communities that make up the landscape of daily life—Chowchilla, Madera, the orchards and vineyards that surround them—and places these within the context of diasporic belonging. In doing so, she asserts that the Central Valley is not just where migrants live; it is where they build families, contribute labor, and create new forms of cultural life. The song carries particular weight as it was composed by a woman who is a social worker that has helped the people who this song pays homage to. Nelly uses the corrido to honor the people around her—those who labor quietly, raise children, and persevere despite marginalization.

“Corrido al Valle Central” reflects a broader understanding of tradition. Rather than narrating an epic or tragedy, it praises everyday life. In doing so, it challenges dominant narratives that portray immigrants as temporary or marginal. Instead, Paredes insists that Mexican communities in the Valley are permanent, rooted, and integral. The song transforms the Valley from a place of labor into a site of cultural pride.

Musically, the composition respects the classic structure of the corrido, with a narrative opening, regional specificity, and a closing that reinforces identity and location. Paredes offers her work as a celebration—not of herself, but of the community to which she belongs.