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.