MEXICAN CULTURE OF MUSIC
The mariachi ensemble and mariachi music originated in the Jalisco region and surrounding states of western Mexico, especially the city of Guadalajara. A traditional mariachi included primarily string instruments, such as guitars; a large bass guitar called a guitarrón; a folk harp with 28–40 strings; violins; a flat-backed, five-string guitar; and vihuelas (guitars with round backs). In the Zacatecas and Los Altos regions of Mexico, a bass drum or snare drum was sometimes added to the group.
Since the 1930s, the mariachi band has been the most nationally prominent folk-derived Mexican music ensemble. During the 1930s, trumpets were added to mariachi orchestras. This was a time of high patriotic feelings in Mexico. The power and high pitch of the mariachi trumpet could be heard in radio broadcasts and in Mexican films. Today a mariachi ensemble includes two groups of instruments. The melody group includes violins and trumpets, and the harmony group includes vihuela, guitar, guitarrón, and sometimes harp.
Traditional mariachi ensembles played sones—melodies and dances rooted in folk traditions—that were associated with the various regions of Mexico. "La Bamba" and "Cielito Lindo" are examples of sones that are often played and sung by mariachi groups. Today mariachi ensembles may play these traditional songs as well as other kinds of music, including the mambo, danzón, cha-cha, cumbia, salsa, balada, and even popular music from urban centers of Mexico and other countries. While there are mariachi songs that are performed in the traditional style in masses celebrating the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, most mariachi music is secular. Popular themes include life events and unrequited love as well as dance music. The music is often fast and vigorous, with strong rhythms.
Mariachi festivals are now popular in the western and southwestern United States. The first large-scale mariachi festival in the United States occurred in San Antonio in 1979.
