Bands from
Jalisco, in western Mexico, have been providing a unique form of relaxed, romantic accompaniment to weddings since before the Mexican Revolution. Some say the French word for "marriage" may have given their ensembles and their music its name: Mariachi. Now popular at restaurants, bars, and receptions on both sides of the border, Mariachi bands include guitars, the low, thrumming guitarron, violins, a trumpet, and a high-pitched singer. They also come equipped with a
repertoire of
ballads, polkas, waltzes, and cumbias. Mariachi bands are known for their stylized, sombrero-and-bolero-coat uniforms, and for wandering from bar to street corner to bar, playing their traditional music.
Mariachi: Miguel Aceves Mejía, Pepe Aguilar, Mariachi
Silvestre Vargas, Mariachi Mexico De Pepe Villa, Mariachi Casino, Mariachi Los Caporales,
Lupillo Rivera, Amalia Mendoza, Raul Sandoval, Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlan, Cuco Sanchez, Jorge
Negrete, Alejandro Fernandez, Mariachi Cobre, Mariachi Alas De Mexico, Mariachi Los Toritos, and Mariachi El Bronx.