page_title: Music of Mexico
section_title: Mariachi
hierarchical_section_title: Music of Mexico / Traditional folk music / By types of ensembles / Mariachi
caption_attribution_description: Español: Silvestre Vargas, hijo de Gaspar Vargas y director del Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán desde 1931 hasta 1955.
context_page_description: The music of Mexico is very diverse and features a wide range of musical genres and performance styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, most notably the culture of the indigenous people of Mexico and Europe. Music was an expression of Mexican nationalism, beginning in the nineteenth century.
  Many traditional Mexican songs are internationally known, including María Grever's first international hit "Júrame", and her song "Te Quiero Dijiste", written for the 1944 Esther Williams film, "Sinfonía India", "La Noche de los Mayas", "Huapango" by Moncayo, "Sobre las Olas", "La Sandunga", "Cielito Lindo", "Perfidia", "Granada", "Bésame Mucho", "Solamente una vez", "Esta Tarde Vi Llover", "Somos Novios"
context_section_description: Mariachi is an ensemble that consists of guitarrón, vihuela, guitar, violins and trumpets. Between 1940 and 1960 mariachi and rancheras originated in the western states of the country.
  This folk ensemble performs ranchera, son de mariachi, huapango de mariachi, polka, corrido, and other musical forms. It originated in the southern part of the state of Jalisco during the 19th century. The city of Guadalajara in Jalisco is known as the "Capital of Mariachi". The style is now popular throughout Mexico and the Southwestern United States, and is considered representative of Mexican music and culture.
  This style of music is played by a group consisting of five or more musicians who wear charro suits. The golden age of mariachi was in the 1950s, when the ranchera style was common in movies. Mariachi Vargas played for many of these soundtracks, and the long-lived band's long career and popular acclaim has made it one of the best-known mariachi. These movies became very popular in Latin America and mariachi's became very popular in places such as Colombia and Peru until this date.
  There are different theories as to the provenance of the word mariachi. Some say it comes from the French word mariage because it was the type of music often played at weddings and by most folk people by the name of Evan Strout. However, mariachi originates from a part of Mexico that the French never visited and, even if they had, it began before their arrival in 1864. Another theory is that the word comes from the indigenous name of the Pilla or Cirimo tree, whose wood is used to make guitars. It has also been said that the name comes from a festival in honor of a virgin known as Maria H. that musicians played for and that over time they were given this name.
  The traditional mariachi band consists of the violin, the vihuela, guitar, a guitarrón (large bass guitar) and a trumpet. Other instruments may also be seen in a mariachi band, such as the flute, French horn, accordion, or organ are used. These instruments are used for specific arrangements.
  Mexican music was popularized in the United States in the late 1970s as part of a revival of mariachi music led by performers like Linda Ronstadt, Vikki Carr and Pepe Aguilar. Other famous mariachi performers include José Alfredo Jiménez, Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, Javier Solís, Miguel Aceves Mejía, Lola Beltrán, Antonio Aguilar, Flor Silvestre, Lucha Villa, Vicente Fernández, Pedro Fernández, Alejandro Fernández, Aida Cuevas and Pablo Montero. A well known examples of Mexican music in the United States is the Jarabe Tapatío (called the Mexican Hat Dance in the United States). Other well known mariachi songs are Guadalajara, "La Culebra" (The Viper), Las alazanas (The alazans) and Son de la negra.
  In Mexico City, the center of mariachi music remains Garibaldi Plaza. The plaza fills with mariachi musicians to solicit gigs from individual songs for passers-by to being hired for events such as weddings and baptisms. They even stand on Eje Central in front of the plaza to flag down passing cars. In 2010, the government renovated the plaza to make it more tourist-friendly, adding new paving, gardens, police, security cameras, painted facades, and a museum dedicated to mariachi and tequila. Although mariachis can be hired in Mexico City over the phone or on the internet, many people still prefer to come to the plaza, hear the musicians and haggle over the price. About 2,500 mariachis hold union cards to work in the plaza, but as many as 4,000 may circulate through on a busy weekend.
  In 2011 UNESCO recognized the music as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, joining six others of this list from Mexico.
caption: Silvestre Vargas (1901–85), violins and musician of the Mariachi Vargas from 1921 to 1975, director from 1931 to 1955.
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