The Special Guests

As I said, the performance of the Ballet Folklórico which we attended a couple of weeks ago was a special event.  The guest stars of the show were the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, the most famous mariachi group in Mexico, in fact, the most famous in the world.

Mariachi music had its origin in the state of Jalisco, and although there is great variety in the music of the different regions of the country, mariachi is what most outsiders associate as the music of Mexico.  Mariachi groups typically include violins, trumpets and guitars.

The Mariachi Vargas was founded in 1898 by Gaspar Vargas in the small town of Tecalitlán in the state of Jalisco.  They played at local fiestas, and gained a wider reputation when they won mariachi competitions in Guadalajara and Mexico City.  In the 1950s the group signed a contract with RCA Victor, and in the 1960s, prior to the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the government sent the group on an international tour.  In 1987 they accompanied Linda Ronstadt on her Grammy winning Spanish language album "Canciones de Mi Padre" (Songs of My Father) and went on tour with her.  (I used to show my students a video of a PBS program of her and the mariachi performing traditional songs from the album.)  They also recorded an album of mariachi music with Placido Domingo.

I had never heard the Mariachi Vargas perform live, so I was excited to attend this performance.  Part way through the show. they appeared on stage and performed a number of songs.  They were classic songs, that all the Mexicans in the audience knew.  They sang along, clapped and greeted the tunes with wild enthusiasm.  The gringos in the audience were probably quite astounded by it all.

 

The finale of the ballet is always a segment known as "Fiesta en Jalisco" which features mariachi music.  That night, the ballet's own accomplished mariachi group was joined by the Mariachi Vargas.

But there was more.  The Mariachi Vargas came back on stage to perform several encore numbers.

Then members of the ballet came out and danced in the aisles while Mariachi Vargas played.

The show ended with the combined mariachis performing "¡Viva México!", and I was shouting "¡Viva!" along with the others.

The Ballet Folklórico is always a wonderful and joyous event, but that evening's performance was exceptional!