Mexican Music and Dance
Mexican music and dance can be classified as music and dance from the North and music and dance from the South. Also there are many subdivisions of each of these categories. This is not unlike music and dance from the United States, Germany and many other countries. In the middle of Mexico where the cultures fuse, there may be more variations of these types.
Examples of Mexican folk music and dance from the North are the polkas norte�as from the border states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Also coming from the middle of Tamaulipas is the picote. Below Tamaulipas is the state of Veracruz. The dances typical to that area are the huapangos. From the South come the jarabes from the state of Jalisco.
The Mexican instruments from the North are the button accordion, and the bajo sexto. The sounds of these instruments define the music. From the South comes the mariachi music. The Vargas family is credited with being one of the first mariachi group.
The mariachi group has evolved to be a minium of eight musicians. In the rhythm section there should be a guitarron player, a vihuela player, and a guitar player. The melody section should consist of two trumpet players and three violin players. The guitarron and vihuela are traditional Mexican instruments. Other older instruments that may be used are the guitar de golpe and the Mexican harp. The Mexican harp is used more frequently in the state of Veracruz.
Shown in the photograph is the typical dress worn while dancing to the music of La Bamba, a son jarocho
Shown in the photograph is the typical dress worn in the North while dancing the picote