Article by Matt Duchek
Mariachi Basics
Mariachi is a vibrant, rhythmic folk music that originates from Southwestern Mexico. The characteristically lively mariachi sound is a harmony of several musical instruments. A typical mariachi ensemble consists of three or more violins, one or two trumpets and several guitars: an acoustic guitar, a vihuela (high-pitched 5 string guitar) and a guitarron (large, deep acoustic bass). Mariachi music has become emblematic of Mexican music and Mexican pride by appropriating various regional song forms from across Mexico. While relatively little new mariachi music is composed today, mariachi bands remain in demand for social occasions (weddings and quinceaneras celebrations, for example) in Mexican and Mexican-American communities.
Mariachi in American Popular Culture
The Mexico Trilogy (aka Mariachi Trilogy or Desperado Trilogy), a series of three movies directed by Robert Rodriguez and distributed by Columbia Pictures, follows 'El Mariachi'- a traveling Mexican guitar player who has a guitar case filled with weapons. While the original movie (El Mariachi, 1992) was produced with a very small budget, its two sequels (Desperado, 1995 and Once Upon a Time in Mexico, 2003) are jam-packed with Hollywood stars. The main character in the story, El Mariachi, is portrayed by Antonio Banderas for both of the two later movies. Other stars from the films include Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Willem Dafoe, Eva Mendes, Enrique Iglesias and Cheech Marin.
More recently, a Mariachi band was briefly featured in Joel and Ethan Cohen's acclaimed 2007 film No Country for Old Men. In that movie, character Lleyelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), badly injured in a shootout, stumbles into a Mexican border town and is aided by Mariachis who deliver him to a hospital.
By gaining new exposure through popular movies, Mariachi should gain more awareness in the U.S. and, ultimately, lead to an increase in the popularity of Mariachi and other forms of Mexican music.
The Business of Mariachi
Mariachi remains popular today throughout Mexico and in the United States. The biggest U.S. markets for mariachi groups are, not surprisingly, the cities with the biggest Mexican-American populations. For example, mariachi ensembles are common in the U.S. cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Santa Fe, Phoenix, San Francisco and New York.
Professional Mariachi bands are frequently hired to perform at festive social gatherings and have also been in demand to appear in movies and in popular music recordings. Linda Ronstadt's 1987 Album Canciones de Mi Padre, for example, incorporates mariachi song forms- and Ms. Ronstadt assembled some of the best Mariachis to play on her (now double platinum) album and on the album tour.
Additionally, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic in the American population, and almost half (43%) of Hispanics in the U.S. are of Mexican heritage. This rapid increase in the Mexican population in America should bring with it increased demand for Mariachi ensembles, plus heightened demand for Mariachi guitars and other Mariachi instruments.
About the Author
Matt Duchek operates Gold Mind Marketing, an internet marketing firm in St. Louis, Missouri. Currently, Gold Mind Marketing is offering a special pair of mariachi guitar / mariachi guitars domain names: MariachiGuitar.com and MariachiGuitars.com. Visit GoldMindMarketing.com for more details.
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