• Journey Mexico : Experiences : Music

Music

The music of Mexico has been inspired by a variety of sources and cultures.  Traditional Mexican folk music is very regional in nature. Banda music and Norteña music (influenced by the polka) is popular in central and northern Mexico and Baja California. Gruperas are the mixed sound of rumba and ranchera music mostly heard in the mid south of Mexico. This music contains both rumba rhythms and ranchera rhythms.  Probably the most well known form of Mexican music comes from Guadalajara, Jalisco,which is mariachi music.  Usually, a mariachi band consists of at least three violins, two trumpets, and three different guitars (Spanish, vihuela, bass). Originally, street musicians and mariachi band members would dress in silver studded cowboy outfits with wide-brimmed hats. 

Not to be outdone by its more traditional incarnations, Mexican rock music has gained popularity over the years in the international arena with artists such as Selena Quintanilla-Perez creating albums that “crossed over” into the mainstream market.   

Below is a video of Journey Mexico trip members walking the streets of San Miguel de Allende with a band of local musicians called Trovadores. At the end of the video, the trip members enjoy a spectacular view of the extraordinary church of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico’s Colonial Heartland.