Tesoros de Mexico: Mariachi Music

Mariachi Sombrero and Guitar

 

Mariachi music is a big part of Mexican culture and history The musical ensemble has changed as Mexico has changed; it has moved with conquests and revolutions. Today it is a big part of Mexico’s nationalistic pride, but is well-known as music of love due to the serenades that make up much of the genre.

For the most part, the word “mariachi” is unknown. One theory is that is comes from the wood to make the platform where dancers danced to the music. At the time of the Spanish conquest, many of the instruments used (like drums) were deemed heathenistic, thus being removed from the band. Indigenous peoples created their own instruments as well. The modern understanding of mariachi music comes out of the Jalisco region (followers of my posts will remember that this is where tequila comes from!)

Even though Mariachi music is several hundreds of years old, it was mostly an art form that indigenous people used exclusively as an accompaniment to dance and learned and taught by ear alone. This is a well known tradition among many Indian tribes all over the Americas. During the Revolution of the 1930s, President Lázaro Cárdenas made Mariachi music popular within mainstream society. During the 1950s, the music adapted to jazz and Cuban music styles, which helped set the modern ensemble. It is generally composed of several violins, a classical guitar, two trumpets.

As films and radio grew in popularity, it helped bring Mariachi music all over the country and the world. During the 1950s, Mariachi music was featured in over 200 films. With the help of US programs to bring in Mexican immigrants during the 1940s to the 1960s, the music moved North with the people. Mariachi music is a style of music that has been adapted and legitimized in mainstream music as Western musicians and domestic schools integrate the musical styles into their world.

By Jessica Shakarian

more of Jessica’s posts:

“Cesar Chavez“
“Indigenous Body Art“
“Jose Guadalupe Posada“
“Calvario“
“La Catrina“
“La Virgen de Guadalupe Defendiendo Chicano Rights“
“Aztec Death Rituals“
“Mosaic Skull”
“La Malinche”
“Tequila” 

Advertisement