Talk Latin America: The Last Organilleros

In the streets of Mexico City’s historical center, the ‘Organillero’ has been a fixture since the 1880s, hand-cranked barrel organs brought from Germany, later carried onto the streets by Pancho Villa’s revolutionaries. Around 100 organ grinders still work the city center today, living off tips and passing the trade down through generations. Alasdair Baverstock meets Victor Maya and “El Santo” to find out what it takes to keep a 140-year-old tradition alive, and why Mexico City just made it official heritage.