Rising from humble roots in the highlands of west central Mexico, mariachi music has evolved over five centuries to become the emblematic sound that articulates the very soul of the nation. Historians say the country's signature musical ensemble derived from the Colonial era Spanish theatrical orchestra, evolving most prominently in the area of Cocula, Jalisco, which self-proclaims itself as the "Cradle of Mariachi." The genre first emerged from sonorous expressions of spirituality, a fusion of primitive instrumental accompaniment to rituals practiced by the region's indigenous people and European sacred music introduced in the 16th century by Franciscan missionaries.
The earliest mariachi troupes performed both church and lay music, playing tunes on violins, guitars and folk harps of old world origin, along with crude reed pipes, drums and other native instruments of Mesoamerican cultures. As the style developed through the 19th century, the mariachi sound was trimmed down strictly to string instruments. Horns were not introduced until around 1940.
The modern mariachi band typically performs with a half dozen violins, two trumpets, a guitar and two distinctive instruments, the round back five-string soprano guitar called a viheula and the guitarron, a stout guitar-shaped bass.
During much of its early history mariachi music was synonymous with the rural underclasses. In the latter half of the 19th century, the mariachi was associated with the raucous country fiesta known as the fandango, and by extension, with the wooden platform where couples stomped their heels to popular dance tunes, notably the throbbing strains of a son or jarabe. Most musicians were itinerant hacienda laborers who picked up their instruments for after-work gigs.
The down-to-earth mariachi troupes were commonly scorned by the aristocracy, disparagingly tagged as the Violines de Cerro (the Hill Violins). The hillbilly musicians gradually gained respectability after Justo Villa and his band traveled from Cocula to entertain President Porfirio Diaz at the 1905 Independence Day celebrations in Mexico City. Widespread acceptance grew in the wake of the Mexican Revolution, blossoming after 1934 when populist presidential candidate Lazaro Cardenas set off on the campaign trail with the distinguished Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan in tow as a surefire magnet for the masses.
It was around this time that musicians began upgrading their attire, trading the typical peasant's garb of homespun muslin shirt and baggy trousers, cloth sashes and huarache sandals for uniform outfits in the style of charro horsemen. Today's standard mariachi costume is a jazzed up version of the charro suit, consisting of a waist-length jacket and snug pants studded with silver buttons, worn with floppy bow tie, wide belt, ankle-high boots and a heavily embellished broad brim sombrero.
Although historians and musicologists are still debating the true etymology of the term mariachi, they have long since debunked the common idea that it is a corruption of mariage, the French word for marriage. The misconception arose from the popularity of mariachi music as the entertainment of choice for wedding celebrations during the period when Maximillian of Habsburg ruled as Emperor of Mexico. The theory crumbled once references to the mariachi were discovered in historical documents that predated the French occupation by a decade.
As experts continue haggling over the word's exact significance and the different native tongue from which it may have originated, appreciation for the mariachi holds strong among music lovers around the globe, among them the big audiences and scores of musicians who are ready to pick up the festive beat at Guadalajara's 18th annual Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi.