OchoTEEN

The growing popularity of Chicago-born Duranguense music around the U.S. and Latin America has made the link between Chicago and Durango, Mexico more visible. But the connection is deeper than most creators and fans of the music know. This piece aired on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. Listen to it in their audio archives. Learn more about "Durango, Illinios" and Duranguense music here.

Going home to rural Mexico for the holidays has become an annual pilgrimage for many Mexican immigrants. And driving down has a particular appeal for young people raised stateside, visiting with their parents. Once they get to the family village, parents will be busy with relatives. And the younger generation will be left alone … to cruise.

Listen to this piece at the Marketplace Website.

One of today's hotbeds of Mexican music is... Chicago. Duranguense is a style that was developed by immigrants from the Mexican state of Durango. But the creators and fans of Duranguense were raised in Chicago and actually don't know Durango that well. The music has become their map.

Listen to this piece at The World's Global Hit page.

We follow Chicagoan Lizandra Nevarez for a couple years starting when she is a junior in high school thinking about where, when and whether to go to college. Hear the archived piece "Lizandra is College Bound" on the Chicago Matters, Our Next Generation Web site.