Antonio Mairena - Cantes de las Minas

The title refers to the mining-related singing styles of southeastern Spain, especially the Sierra minera around Cartagena and La Unión. The tradition includes tarantas, tarantos, levanticas, cartageneras, mineras, and fandangos mineros.

Antonio Mairena was the stage name of Antonio Cruz García, a major flamenco singer born in Mairena del Alcor in 1909 and deceased in 1983. He was also a researcher and collector of older cante styles.

Mairena received the third Llave de Oro del Cante in 1962, one of flamenco's most important historical honors. He helped preserve or reconstruct styles that had fallen out of regular performance.

No. Cante minero is primarily a vocal tradition supported by guitar, with lyrics shaped by the lives of miners and mining communities. The Spanish Ministry of Culture identifies the mine and the miner as central subjects of these forms.