Mariachi Music Essay

Mariachi Bands are Mexican bands that consist of guitarists, violinists, and trumpeters. It originated in Jalisco, in the city of Cocula in Western Mexico in the 19th century. Sometimes it can have more than twenty musicians. Before, they used to have harps and later it was replaced by the vihuela, which is a high-pitched five string guitar and a guitarrón, which is a small-scaled acoustic bass. The term mariachi itself came around 1852. Some say that it was the French word for marriage. Others say that it came from the language of the Coca Indians. This would have been around the 16th century. They say that the platform on which the musicians performed could have been called mariachi.  

Mariachi music is a mixture of many cultures. Some examples are Spanish cultures and African cultures. The mariachi were basically workers who moved from one hacienda to another trying to find work where they could. They were almost like messengers moving from one town to another singing songs about war heroes and so on. They would play in public places and people had to pay to hear them sing.

They also say that mariachi music started out as dance music.

Mariachi can be a group of men, women, or both. They also wear different kinds of costumes. For example, according to this article that I read online, males were the classic outfit of the Jalisco horsemen or charro, while the female wears a hand-woven shawl and a bright sequined skirt. Men also wear sombreros. Not only that, but they also have different kinds of traditional dances and the certain movements that come with it. Some of these traditional dances are called zapateado, which originated in Spain and the Mexican Hat Dance, which originated in

Jalisco.

Mariachi bands are also used a lot today. One example would be to serenade someone. A serenade in spanish is called a serenata. A serenata is the way that a man communicates with a woman that he cares about romantically. This can also happen the other way around. The serenata is basically like a musical message of love delivered by the Mariachi. Mariachi’s also sing for other special occasions. Some examples would be birthdays, funerals, weddings and so on.  

Mariachi’s sing many different types of music. According to an article that I read online, they sing many different genres. One of them is called ranchera, which includes songs about love and happiness. Another one is called jarabe, which includes stories about people who are dating or waiting to get married. There is also another genre called the corrido, which is about telling stories through music.

Mariachi’s are still popular today, not only in Mexico but also in the United States. This is because when people move to the United States, they bring their culture with them. Other cultures also use Mariachi’s. The only difference is that sometimes nontraditional instruments are added, like the harmonica and the accordion, in order to change things up a bit.