Mexican Folklore

     This article is about the traditional Mexican music.

     Music has been a part of the Mexican people from the ancient times. At the time of the Mayan civilization, percussion instruments were the ones mainly used, like the maracas and the drums. The other instruments, like the ocarinas and the flutes were used by and large, a little later. During the time of the Aztec civilization, various kinds of hymns were introduced to praise the warriors and the cantares. These ancient musical forms were an irreplaceable part of the ancient, rather the pre-Columbian era, till the exploration of Hernando Cortes, the Spaniard who defeated the Aztecs to conquer Mesoamerica. He brought the priests, soldiers, the African slaves and the melodious Spanish music along with him. It was not too long after that, that all the three cultures of music, namely Mesoamerican, Spanish and African, were unified to form a new and unique form of music.

     Son

     Around 1800, when Mexico got independence from Spain, the Mexican music was introduced to the other European forms of music like the polka and the waltz. It reflected on the traditional Mexican music of ‘the nine sons’, with each one representing a particular Mexican region. The name ’son mariachi’ means the ‘dancers on a wooden platform’ and was the most familiar son in the past, but today Mariachi is referred to as the band of eight performers. Usually three guitarists, three violinists and a trumpet player form this band. These modern day Mariachis can be hired for some event and they are immensely popular amongst the tourists.

     The band dressed in the veteran ‘charro’ (Mexican term for cowboy) costume, usually plays the typical music from the state of Jalisco, in short, the music of the ‘Huichol’ people. Another traditional son that is popular in Mexico is ’son jarocho’. It is indigenous to the state of Veracruz. This son has been tremendously influenced by the Creole, Cuban and African music. The special harp from Veracruz, better known as ‘arpa jarocha’ is the essence of the arocho. Before the Mexican revolution, another son named ’son jalescenses’ used to be sung on the ranches of Mexico. That is the reason why jalescenses is popularly known as ‘ranchera’. The ranchera symbolizes the simple country music themed on the feelings of love and patriotism. It is deeply influenced by the European waltz and the romantic Latin bolero. Some other forms of the sons are son calentano, son michoacano, son huesteco, etc.

     Corrido

     At the time of the revolution, the imperishable ‘corrido’ took birth. Corrido is a form of ballad, that tells the stories of the exploitation of the country during the revolution. The modern day corridos reflect the day-to-day life of the Mexican people and it still tells the tales of the political scandals and the recent happenings.

     Norteño

     Also referred to as the ‘el norte’, meaning ‘the north’, norteño is the most popular form of Mexican music in Mexico, as well as the United States. This musical genre was invented at the advent of the Germans to northern Mexico, during the 20’s. The ‘bajo sexto’ (a 12 string guitar) and the accordion are the defining instruments of Norteño music. Norteño is mainly popular for the enticing aroma of its country music and its clean and steady rhythm.

     The Polka Effect

     Mexican music is quite influenced by this lively form of dance music. The Bohemian migrants to Texas brought the polka beats along with them. Eventually, both the sons, the mariachi and ranchera, were blended in the lively polka beats, that later became an essential part of the norteño music.

     Tejano

     Tejano is also called as the ‘tex-mex’. Norteño gave birth to this musical genre as well. The origin of tejano lies near the Mexico-Texas border. Tejano is a gift of the Mexican people who moved to Texas, especially in the Central and the Southern Texas. It is a blend of a variety of musical genres across the continent, including the blues, rock and cumbia. It also has the hip-hop and disco adding more lively flavors to it.

     Banda

     Banda is a blend of almost all the genres of the Mexican music, like the corridos, boleros, baladas, cumbias, rancheras and also the Mexican rock and pop. Banda is basically a big brass-based form of music that mainly relies on percussion. Banda originated in the Sinaloa state of Mexico. Around 10 to 20 people are present in one Banda band.

     Others

     Columbian Cumbia - Till the advent of Banda, around the 80’s, this genre was more popular in Mexico than Columbia itself.
Gruperas - This genre is the most popular in the regions of mid-south Mexico. This is a ‘group form’, with a blend of rumba and the ranchera. Grupera is popularly enjoyed at parties and clubs.
Danzón - The Cuban people were immensely influenced by the African slaves who invented the rumba. Danzón is a refined dance form, introduced to the Mexican black population by the Cuban people, around 1879.

July 27, 2009  Author:   Posted in: Beautiful

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