This week Guadalajara hosted the 26^th annual International Mariachi and Charrería Festival. This festival draws mariachi groups from all over the world including the United States. Over the course of ten days, there are mariachi concerts throughout the city in parks, squares, and theaters. Thousands of locals turn out for the free events, singing and clapping along with the musicians, singers, and dancers.

Background

Mariachi is a type of musical group, originally from Mexico, consisting of violins, trumpets, Spanish guitars, vihuelas (high-pitched, five-string guitar), guitarrón (a small-scaled acoustic bass like a fat guitar), and sometimes a harp (I don’t know how this instrument fits in, but it works).

The number of members in a musical group can be quite large. In addition to the musical instruments, there are singers and dancers in bright, colorful costumes.

Mariachi music comes from the Mexican state of Jalisco. According to popular legend, it originated in the town of Cocula (35 miles southwest of Guadalajara) in the 19th century. Today, Guadalajara is known as the capital of mariachi. The mariachi sound, known as Son, is a mixture of Spanish, African, and native music. Mariachi music is on the UNESCO list as intangible cultural heritage.

From the beginning, mariachi music was dance music. The traditional dance technique associated with both the song Jalisciense and song Jarocho is the Zapateado (Tap Dance). When dancing the zapateado, which originated in Spain, the performers drive the heels of their boots into the dance-floor, pounding out rhythms to the music. Another typical mariachi dance, The Jarabe Tapatio or Mexican Hat Dance, from Guadalajara, has become the national dance of Mexico. It is highly stylized, with prescribed movements and costumes. The male wears the classic outfit of the Jalisco horseman or charro, while the female wears a hand-woven shawl and a bright sequined skirt.

Another popular mariachi song is Cielito Lindo which roughly translates as “Lovely Sweet One”. It is widely known throughout Latin America as a symbol of Mexico. It has become the unofficial national anthem for native Mexicans, sung as a sign of unity. This song is sung in sporting games, as well as protests and every kind of gathering where love for Mexico is expressed. You may know the song from the Frito Bandito commercials of the ’60s and ’70s by Frito-Lay.

Festival

The festival kicked-off last Saturday with a competition to set the record for the world’s largest folkloric dance. Dressed in the colorful traditional dresses of the regions, 882 dancers danced to the Mexican song El Jarabe Tapatio, shattering the previous record of 457 dancers eight years ago. Thousands of people gathered in Guadalajara’s historic center to witness the spectacle and to admire the beauty of the traditional costumes that fluttered to the rhythm of the mariachi music. The women wore brightly colored dresses and the men wore the traditional charro cowboy suits.

On Sunday morning, near our apartment, we picked out our seats in the bleachers to watch the mariachi parade. The parade consisted of mariachi groups from around the world, each group, stopping to perform in front of the bleachers. Thousands of people lined the parade route, singing and dancing along with the mariachis.

At the end of the parade, Charrerías marched, taking center stage prancing as the riders showed off their roping skills and performing tricks with their horses. It was quite a scene.

The rest of the week, international mariachi groups performed throughout the city. Each performance was dazzling and beautiful. Locals danced and sang along and we could not help but move with the beat.