Regional Mexican/tejano artist El Coyote (born José Angel Ledezma Quintero) decided to go on his own in 1997 after participating in bands such as La Costeña, La Banda el Limón, and Los Recoditos. Tierra Santa was formed that same year, soon recording El Coyote y Su Banda Tierra Santa's debut album, Aquí Me Quedaré, followed by 1998's Concedeme. To promote 1999's El Amo and Profundamente, the group started touring Mexico and the U.S., successfully performing live for thousands of Mexican music fans. Culiacán-born El Coyote and his ensemble returned with 2000's Te Soñé, 2001's Cuando Regreso a Tus Brazos, and 2002's Puras Ranchera and El Amor No Tiene Edad. The band's rural sensibility continued throughout the reminder of its EMI tenure, which included the albums El Rancho Grande (2003), with its widely acclaimed video for the single "Alla el Rancho Grande," and Si Te Vuelves a Enamorar (2004).

The large band signed to Fonovisa in 2005 and issued Suspiros, whose title track was a hit single. Gradually, as their career progressed, they began playing more narcocorridos, which had become fashionable in Sinaloa, though their approach remained strictly traditional. Albums such as 2006's Prohibido and 2008's El Polo Norte reinforced this, though alternate recordings continued to focus on love songs and party anthems. They left Fonovisa after 2009's Levanta Tu Vuelo.

In 2011, while performing in the state of Nayarit in support of Escuela de la Vida, their debut for ISA Music, El Coyote y Su Banda Tierra Santa's stage was firebombed. Three members were injured, prompting El Coyote to relocate with his family to the United States. Cultural commentators assumed that the incident was prompted by drug kingpins in retaliation for the group's celebration of competitors' exploits. No suspects were apprehended, leaving that theory unconfirmed. The band didn't issue another recording until 2014's widely celebrated Alucine. In 2015, EMI Latin issued the compilation 20 Corridos Bien Perrones, which ran up the Mexican regional charts, underscoring the group's continued popularity. ~ Drago Bonacich, Rovi