Cádiz, birthplace of the uruguayan murga: a myth of the origins?

Abstract

Many of the writers who dedicated themselves to studying the different aspects of the carnival have also contributed in outlining the history and evolution of the murga. These scouted old family anecdotes, which were intertwined with Uruguayan culture, were forged into written narratives mainly based on oral tradition and they tell a similar history of the murga's alleged origins: An-dalusia, and more precisely, from Cádiz. In this paper, the controversy of the murga's origins in the context of the Uruguayan carnival will be discussed: on the one hand, the prevalent belief that the Andalusian origins are a carefully elaborated myth, and, on the other hand, another possible provenance of this genre will be also considered.