This theory was disproven with the appearance of documents that showed that the word existed before this invasion: This was a common explanation on record jackets and travel brochures. The word Mariachi was thought to have derived from the French word mariage ('marriage'), dating from the French intervention in Mexico in the 1860s, related to the music's appearance at weddings. It was located near the river Santiago, in Nayarit. The most distant reference documented are more than 100 certificates of baptisms, burials and marriages in which the Mariachi ranch appears, between 18. Another states that mariachi comes from the indigenous name of a tree called pilla or cirimo yet another states that it came from an image locally called María H (pronounced Mari-Ache).

One states that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the dance platform. The origin of the word is disputed, but prominent theories attribute it to deep roots. Most song lyrics are about machismo, love, betrayal, death, politics, revolutionary heroes and country life. Song styles and instrumentals performed with mariachi include rancheras, corridos, cumbias, boleros, ballads, sones, huapangos, jarabes, danzones, joropos, pasodobles, marches, polkas, waltzes and chotís. In 2011, UNESCO recognized mariachi as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, joining six other entries on the Mexican list of that category.

The musical style began to take on national prominence in the first half of the 20th century, with its promotion at presidential inaugurations and on the radio in the 1920s. Modifications of the music include influences from other music such as polkas and waltzes, the addition of trumpets and the use of charro outfits by mariachi musicians. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two trumpets and at least one guitar, including a high-pitched vihuela and an acoustic bass guitar called a guitarrón, and all players taking turns singing lead and doing backup vocals.įrom the 19th to 20th century, migrations from rural areas into Guadalajara, along with the Mexican government's cultural promotion gradually re-labeled it as son style, with its alternative name of mariachi becoming used for the 'urban' form. Mariachi ( US: / ˌ m ɑːr i ˈ ɑː tʃ i/, UK: / ˌ m ær-/, Spanish: ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico.

Cancion del mariachi english version