El Mariachi? No. Los Mariachis.

Technically when he's by himself he's not a mariachi.
 But he also has a gun so...

Oh Jalisco, birthplace of some of the great aspects of Mexican culture like tequila, barbacoa and pozole, Guadalajara (as well as the Lady thereof), and of course, mariachi music. Everyone knows mariachi music. It is a staple of Mexican cultural stereotypes but more than that it is some awesome music and an extremely revelatory and important aspect of a rich and wonderful history.

I’ve heard of mariachi music described as Mexican country music but that is not an accurate assessment. American country music (originally called “hillbilly music” – yeah, I’m not kidding; go look it up, I’ll wait) started in the south and much like mariachi music, it was made up of folk songs, ballads, and dance songs. It was composed with relatively simple and common instruments like guitars and maybe some brass but where country music eventually turned into musical atrocities like Lady Antebellum or Rascal Flats, mariachi music has remained pretty true to its roots and any great deviation from those roots it is no longer called mariachi music but something like ranchera, banda, or any other name to make ensure that it is distinct and not tainting the traditional sound and style.

Rascal Flatts - a country "band"

Here in New York there isn’t a great deal of exposure to Mariachi music. Most New Yorker’s only experience with the genre comes from the uninvited, eye-roll inducing, ear bud tightening performances on the subway. I like to imagine a bus in Mexico where an American dude with a guitar climbs aboard and starts singing Devil Went Down to Georgia and I understand why the average New Yorker has less than a great affinity for the music. On the West Coast however, well just to give an example, we had a mariachi trio playing at my grandfather’s funeral. It was pretty awesome and Abuelo would have been satisfied. Beyond that, as I’ve mentioned before in previous posts, New York has a greater Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban population than it does Mexican. For the record I am not a fan of Reggeaton music. It hurts me in my soul.

Chente

So here is your history lesson for the day: Mariachi music originated in Jalisco a few hundred years ago, probably in the 1700s during the colonial period. It lived on through the post-colonial period and gained prominence during a period of nationalism through which the genre became a symbol of the great Mexican landscape and came to be associated internationally as a representation of all things Mexican. The name itself, mariachi, is indigenous to Mexico and not an appropriated or some sort of malapropism. By definition mariachi music is always performed by an ensemble, always a group. A guy playing guitar and singing by himself- he is not a mariachi all alone. Some of you may be thinking, “Hey but what about Vicente Fernandez?” or “How about Javier Solis?” or “This site still gets updated?” Solis and Fernandez do look like mariachis. They wear outfits so stunning and shiny that Liberace would blush- however make no mistake, these are the suits, a traje de charro as they’re called, that are representative of the noble cowboy history that accompany this rich genre. But as for the men in the suits, when it’s just one man it is a ranchera singer. And again, make no mistake, when it’s Vicente Fernandez it is El rey de la cancion ranchera. Though one might hear groups playing similar music, if they are not dressed or playing in the style of Jalisco, they are not mariachis.

Mariachi ensembles now generally consist of instruments ranging from guitars and brass to larger groups including harps, percussion, and woodwinds. Of course one cannot leave out the grito, the yell that often comes at the song’s interlude often performed by either the singer or the audience. This is not unlike the yeehaw of an American hoedown. The songs can be either for listening or for dancing and the meter varies quite a bit. From 2/4 beat to 6/8 beat, waltzes and everything in between, there is a cancion to suit all of your mariachi needs. Mariachis are often hired to perform at weddings and birthdays, holidays, or really just about any occasion, they always fit the mood.

"Tambien hacemos bar mitvahs!"

There are many great songs performed by mariachis to suit a wide range of tastes. I’m a big fan of El Rey but some other greats are Son de la Negra, Guadalajara, and Camino de Guanajuato. But if you only have the faintest familiarity with mariachi music the one song that everyone seems to be familiar with is Cielito Lindo”. Go ahead and pull it up on iTunes, you’ll know which one it is.

Finding a mariachi band isn’t cheap, at least not if you want a good one. They can range from $120 per hour to several hundred dollars per hour depending on how good they are. I recommend them highly for birthday celebrations or even a trio to play ballads at a smaller, more intimate gathering. Maybe even at your next funeral. The songs range from the solitary musings of a cowboy out on the range, to the heart that beats only for the woman who left the singer. They romanticize the Mexican frontier and relate musings on love, patriotism, and nature. For whatever reason I can’t stand most American country music, but I will always have a place in my digital library for some mariachi music.

Quinceañera

My first experience with a quinceañera celebration started with car trouble. I was driving along one day when I realized I had a flat tire. It was an older car and the tire iron that came with the jack was completely useless. It didn’t fit the bolts and because of that I couldn’t get the tire off. I was going to need some help. It was later in the afternoon but not so late that my parents would be home from work so I called a friend of mine to come and help me out. He showed up within a half hour but rather than help me change the wheel he exclaimed, “Hey, get in the car and we’ll be back in a little while. I have to do something at home!” So we ride on back to his house which was just a mile away and I come to see that several of his cousins gathered around the backyard and rehearsing a dance and a waltz. I didn’t know what it was all about so I just sat around and had a Tecate with salt and lime. They went on rehearsing the steps but it was off balance and the coordinator was getting more agitated as the night progressed. Apparently one of the cousins hadn’t shown up and there was a spot that needed to be filled.

And there I was. Sipping on my Tecate.

None of my younger female cousins had yet reached the age of 15 so this was all new to me. I was reluctant at first but the coordinator was really pretty so I relented. The quinceañera was in just four days and we had tonight and the next night to make sure we had all of the steps down. I should also mention that my hesitation to dance in front of a people was due to the fact that I dance about as well as I sing… which is about as well as I play hockey and let me ask you this: Have you ever seen a Mexican play hockey? I didn’t think so. But in the end everything went off without a hitch and I got my introduction to being part of a quinceañera celebration. This was quite a few years ago and all I really remember from the party was that we went to church beforehand, the quinceañera wore a beautiful white dress, I wore a tuxedo, and there was a whole lot of food and tequila. Needless to say I was missing out on a few things.

I performed in a waltz for the celebration of my friend’s sister’s fifteenth birthday. She has a court, not unlike a homecoming queen, that is there to celebrate wtih her. This celebration has roots that go back over 2000 years. It is an amalgam of empires from the Aztecs to the Spanish and the French. Most cultures have some sort of coming-of-age celebration. In America we have sweet sixteen celebrations where young ladies get to be the center of attention. Though most popular in the south, we also have cotillion where debutants join society not as a girl but as a young lady. There are also Bar and Bat-mitzvah celebrations. These types of occasions are found all over the world. The one most familiar to Latin America began with the Aztecs and their celebration of a young girl becoming a woman. And by becoming a woman they meant that she was ready to start making babies. Once the Spanish got involved they replaced the temples with Catholic churches and made this celebration into a very important crossroads for the young lady- she could choose to be a normal woman and raise a family or she could choose a monastic style of life and become a nun.

The distinction of having the celebration at the age of 15 comes from the French in the late 19th century during an era called Porfiriato, which is their equivalent to the Victorian age in English speaking countries. It is named for Mexican President Porfirio Diaz who had a great admiration of French culture and thus brought over a style of European music called Vals (waltz) and the term Chambelan. Like Cinco de Mayo, the quince años celebration is becoming more popular here in the United States than it is in Latin America. Like any great celebration in Mexico, like baptisms, weddings, etc, these parties are often reflective of the family socio-economic status. Here in the states they are great way for Americanized immigrants to maintain a connection to their Mexican heritage (much like referring everyone you know to this website).

A Quinceañera usually consists of some specific traits. Because the Spanish tied the occasion to the church it is customary that before the party there will be a church service where the young lady reaffirms her faith. It is customary for her to receive gifts reflective of the religious aspect like a cross, a rosary, or a Bible. Also, because of the religious aspect, the quinceañera celebration is a big deal for the godparents. Their duty is to the spiritual development and upbringing of the child and the quinceañera celebration is where the child becomes a woman and so celebrates the culmination of the godparent’s duties. During the event the Quinceañera, which is actually the title of the young lady celebrating her coming-of-age, will wear a white dress which is something like a wedding dress. Other traditions vary but often represent her father releasing her into the word as a woman. Sometimes she will wear simple flats which her father will replace with heels. She may carry a doll dress just like her which her father will replace with heels. Or there could be the father/daughter dance where midway he will pass her on to her escort, the Chambelan, while they dance a vals (waltz).

And then, of course, this is followed by food and drink and shots and a big bowl of menudo the next morning.

For those of you wondering what became of my car, my buddy and I returned and were unable to get the wheel off. I came the next day with my dad and a different tire iron and we changed it without incident.