Music of Mexico

The music of Mexico shows the nation's culture. It is shaped by many different traditions, genres, and ways of performing. European, Indigenous, and African influences helped create its special musical style. Since the 19th century, music has been a big part of Mexico's identity.

In the 21st century, Mexico became a very important music market, especially in the Spanish-speaking world. Reports from IFPI show just how popular music is in Mexico today.

History

See also: Francisco Gabilondo Soler and Guadalupe Pineda

Mexican music comes from the sounds and traditions of its first people. They used drums like the teponaztli, flutes, rattles, conches, and their voices for music and dance, and some of these are still used today. Over time, many Mexican instruments changed from older designs, such as the Mexican vihuela used in Mariachi music.

National music started to grow in the 1800s, often with themes of love for the country and defense against outside forces. Important people helped shape this music, like Antonio López de Santa Anna, who brought in a musician to create the Mexican national anthem. Later leaders supported music education and the creation of bands. During a time of change, new styles from around the world mixed with Mexican traditions. After a big struggle for the country's future, new composers came, bringing together traditional sounds with modern styles. Today, both classical and folk music are important parts of Mexico's rich musical heritage.

Traditional folk music

See also: La golondrina and Regional styles of Mexican music

Northern Mexican folk music

See also: Norteño (music)

Northern traditional music, or Norteño, was shaped by people from Germany, Poland, and Czechia in the mid-1800s. They brought their instruments and styles, and the accordion became very popular. Popular styles include Ranchera, Corrido, Huapango, Chotís, Polka, Redova, Cumbia, and Banda. People enjoy these styles in Mexico and around the world.

Northern Mexico music instruments

• Accordion

• Bajo sexto, Mexican string instrument

• Snare drum

• Tuba

Genres

• Corrido: Corrido songs tell stories, often about famous people or heroes. Some stories are about women, and others share tales of love.
• Ranchera: Ranchera music comes from farms and has different rhythms. It often features the singing of José Alfredo Jiménez.
• Banda: Banda music started from military bands in the 1860s. It became popular during a big war in Mexico and is still loved today, especially in one state.

Central Mexican folk music

See also: Mariachi

Central Mexico's music has strong Spanish influences, seen in its cities and instruments like guitars and violins. The most famous style is Mariachi, played by groups in special suits. Their songs often talk about love, heroes, and life in the country.

Central Mexico music instruments

• Bajo sexto, Mexican string instrument

• Guitar

• Violin

• Trumpet

Genres

• Mariachi: Mariachi groups play many kinds of music and come from the state of Jalisco. The city of Guadalajara is known for Mariachi music.
• Tamborazo Zacatecano: This style comes from Zacatecas and uses trumpets, saxophones, and drums.

Southern Mexican folk music

The south of Mexico mixes many cultures, with important port cities like Veracruz and Acapulco. Famous styles include Son Jarocho from Veracruz, Chilena from Guerrero and Oaxaca, Jarana Yucateca from the Yucatan Peninsula, Bolero from Yucatan and Veracruz, and Abajeño from Michoacán.

Southern Mexican musical instruments

• Harp

• Classical and Requinto guitars

• Jarana jarocha

• Marímbula

Genres

• Son Jarocho: Son Jarocho music is from Veracruz and has African influences. One famous song is La Bamba.
• Chilena: Chilena music comes from the Costa Chica region and began with Chilean sailors and immigrants during the time of the California gold rush.

Popular music of folk roots

Grupera

Main article: Grupera

Grupera is a popular type of music from Mexico. It mixes styles like cumbia, norteño, and ranchera. It became very popular in the 1980s, especially in rural areas.

This music began with rock groups in the 1960s. Today, it usually has five or fewer musicians playing electric guitars, keyboards, and drums. Famous artists include Los Yonics, Los Temerarios, Los Bukis, La Mafia, Ana Bárbara, Alicia Villarreal, Mariana Seoane, Grupo Bryndis, Los Freddy's, Lidia Ávila, and Los Caminantes. The music grew in popularity in the 1990s and is now honored at awards like Lo Nuestro and the Latin Grammy Awards.

In the 1970s, many Mexican rock bands played Spanish versions of popular English rock songs. Later, they added traditional ranchera songs, cumbia, and ballads to their music. This helped several grupera bands become famous for slow ballads and songs once only performed with mariachi, including Los Muecas and Los Freddys.

Popular music

Pop

Main article: Mexican pop music

In the 1960s and 1970s, many pop songs in Mexico were sung in Spanish, even though they were originally English songs. Famous singers like Angélica María, Johnny Laboriel, Alberto Vázquez, Enrique Guzmán, and Los Teen Tops performed songs made famous by artists like Elvis Presley, Paul Anka, and Nancy Sinatra.

By 2000, some Mexican artists such as Paulina Rubio and Thalía began making music in English too. Paulina Rubio was very successful with her first English album, Border Girl released in 2002. Thalía worked with famous singer Tony Bennett on songs like "The Way You Look Tonight". Today, many well-known Mexican pop singers include José María Napoleón, Juan Gabriel, Lucía Méndez, Ana Gabriel, Daniela Romo, Marco Antonio Solís, Yuri, Gloria Trevi, Lucero, Angélica María, Luis Miguel, Sasha Sokol, Thalía, Paulina Rubio, and many more.

Rock

Main article: Mexican rock music

Mexican rock music started in the late 1950s and became very popular, especially in the 1960s and 1990s. One of the first rock bands was "Los Nómadas" from East Los Angeles, made up of Mexican and American musicians. Mexican rock often mixed traditional Mexican instruments and stories into their songs. Rock music in Spanish became very popular in Mexico.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many rock bands played secretly. After a big music festival called Avándaro, bands like El Tri, Enigma, and Los Dug Dug's became popular. During the 1990s, many new rock bands appeared, such as Café Tacuba, Caifanes, Maná, and Fobia. These bands were listened to by many people around the world.

In the late 1990s and 2000s, new rock bands like Jumbo and Zoé became popular. Some musicians also played metal music, which has many fans in Mexico.

Latin alternative

Latin alternative music mixes many different styles, like rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. It started in the late 1990s when music companies wanted to offer something different from the usual Latin pop songs. Artists like Rodrigo y Gabriela, Carla Morrison, and Café Tacuba helped make this type of music popular.

Mexican ska

Ska music came to Mexico in the 1960s. In the 1980s and 1990s, Mexican bands added a punk style to ska, and it became very popular in the early 2000s. Some well-known ska bands are Panteón Rococó, Inspector, and La Maldita Vecindad.

Electronic

Some famous Mexican musicians make electronic music. They include Javier Torres Maldonado, Murcof, and Manuel Rocha Iturbide. Popular electronic music groups are 3Ball MTY, Nortec Collective, and Mexican Institute of Sound.

Other music of Latin-American roots

See also: Pedro Vargas and Mexican music in Chile

Mexico has many popular music styles from places around the Caribbean and Latin America. These include rumba, mambo, Cha cha chá, Danzón, Cumbia, and bolero. Rumba began with black communities in Veracruz, Mexico City, and Yucatán. It started in Cuba and became popular in Mexico. Bolero came to Yucatán and Danzón to Veracruz in the early 1900s. Both became very popular across Mexico, and Mexican versions of these styles were created.

In the 1940s, Cubans Pérez Prado and Benny Moré moved to Mexico. They brought mambo, which became very popular in Mexico City. Mambo later turned into Cha cha chá, which was also loved by many.

Bolero, a style of song from Cuba, became part of Mexico’s music too. Famous composers of bolero include Rafael Hernández from Puerto Rico and Mexico’s own Agustín Lara. Other successful Mexican bolero writers are María Grever, Gonzalo Curiel Barba, Gabriel Ruiz, and Consuelo Velázquez.

Armando Manzanero is known as a major Mexican composer from after World War II. He wrote many songs, and some became famous around the world.

Renowned singers who performed bolero included Juan Arvizu and Nestor Mesta Chayres. Other popular bolero singers in Mexico were Óscar Chávez, José Ángel Espinoza, and Álvaro Carrillo.

The romantic ballad started in the 1950s, mixing ideas from Latin American bolero, Italian romantic songs, and French music. It is a slow love song usually sung by one singer with an orchestra.

The ballad became very popular in the mid-1970s. Artists like José José had many hits. Over time, ballads mixed with other rhythms like salsa and cumbia. Early ballad singers in Latin America included Manolo Muñoz, and in Mexico, Víctor Yturbe and Lupita D'Alessio became famous for their ballads. Since the 1990s, ballads have spread worldwide through media.

Tropical

Sonora Santanera is a musical group that has played tropical music from Mexico for over 60 years. Los Hermanos Rigual was a Cuban singing group based in Mexico. They became famous in 1962 with their song "Cuando calienta el sol."

Cumbia

Main article: Mexican cumbia

Cumbia has been popular in Mexico for a long time. In the 1940s, Colombian singers came to Mexico and worked with a Mexican music director named Rafael de Paz. In the 1950s, they recorded songs like La Cumbia Cienaguera and Mi gallo tuerto. This helped cumbia become well-known in Mexico. Tony Camargo was one of the first Mexican cumbia performers.

In the 1970s, Aniceto Molina moved to Mexico and joined a group from Guerrero. He recorded many popular songs. Around this time, Rigo Tovar mixed cumbia with other music styles.

Today, cumbia is played in many different ways across Mexico. Well-known Mexican cumbia musicians include Rigo Tovar y su Costa Azul, Celso Piña, Pilar Montenegro, Ninel Conde, Los Caminantes, and Selena.

Los Ángeles Azules perform a style called cumbia sonidera, mixing older cumbia sounds with electronic music.

Art music

See also: List of Mexican operas

Opera in Mexico started a long time ago. One of the first operas by a Mexican composer was by Manuel de Zumaya, called La Parténope, performed in 1711. Later, Manuel Arenzana had operas performed in Mexico City. The first serious Mexican opera was Catalina de Guisa by Cenobio Paniagua.

Over time, Mexican composers began to use their own traditions in their operas. Aniceto Ortega del Villar wrote Guatimotzin about an Aztec ruler. Other operas used Mexican melodies and stories.

Mexico has produced many famous opera singers. Ángela Peralta was known as the "Mexican Nightingale" and sang around the world. Today, Mexican singers such as Rolando Villazón and Irma González continue to perform.

See also: List of Mexican composers of classical music, National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico), and Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra

Classical music in Mexico has a long history. It began during Spanish rule, with composers like Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla creating important works. Puebla was an early center for music, and later Mexico City became important too.

In the 1800s, composers like Juventino Rosas and Manuel M. Ponce made music that mixed Mexican and European styles. In the 1900s, Carlos Chávez and Silvestre Revueltas used folk tunes in their orchestral works. Today, composers such as Arturo Márquez keep Mexican classical music alive and growing.

Jazz in Mexico mixes traditional sounds with international jazz. Early leaders like Tino Contreras added mariachi and other rhythms to jazz. Juan García Esquivel created famous “space-age pop” music. Today, artists like Magos Herrera and Antonio Sánchez continue to make jazz that reflects Mexico’s rich musical heritage.

Table (traditional music ensembles)