Mariachi is splendor, a taste of Mexico, musical harmony, an emblem that unites all people to proclaim their joy to the world and proudly preserve their roots. At times mischievous, at other times melancholy, the valiant mariachi includes guitars, violins, harps, vihuelas (a rhythm guitar), and trumpets which lift up notes and rhythms to produce a contingent of colors. Mariachi is the voice that accompanies profound emotion. It is contagious to all who hear its songs.

The origin of the word mariachi has spawned different versions throughout history. Some point at the French word for marriage, but other studies proved it could be traced in the Nahualt term MARIA CE SON, found in a prayer to the Virgin of Pila and that was mispronounced as Maria-she or Maria-shi. In the early days mariachis didn’t have brass instruments, but back in the 1930’s trumpets broke in and in 1949 Pedro Iturralde became the first man ever to record a mariachi song using two trumpets.

One of the world’s best-known mariachi bands is the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, founded by Silvestre Vargas with a bunch of relatives and friends that he taught to read music scores. That was quite an about-face because until then mariachi musicians used to play only by ear. He was the first to dress performers with campirano uniforms, pants and shirts made of blankets that eventually got a new lease on life with many of the greatest singers of the past century. Those uniforms resembled the charro garment with long lines of buttons, spats, and boots. Mariachis are linked to the state of Jalisco, though they now are found throughout the country. One thing is certain: they all croon to the purest and hottest feelings of the soul, from love and happiness to broken hearts and sorrow.

Full of strength and happiness, mariachi is elegant and vivacious. In an evening festival, a magical concert, or accompanying your meal on the beach or in a restaurant, the brilliance and heat of a town belts in unison with the traditional melodies of the mariachi. Mariachi music is a town’s ambassador of smiles and pain, a banner of national sentiment. The maricachi imbues every poem with heaven, valleys, mountains, lakes, and flowers. Listening to it, living it, and enjoying it are pleasures that Mexicans share with the entire world.

While in Cancun you will encounter roving mariachi bands offering to play for you on the beach or in restaurants. The work of a mariachi is held in high regard here, not at all akin to how some people might consider 'street musicians' in the U.S. or Canada. No decent party or celebration in this part of Mexico is considered complete without a mariachi band, and you'll often hear this boistrous music coming from houses and backyards of families celebrating a birthday, graduation, coming-of-age party for a daughter, or reunion.