Mexico is a country of Central America where people speak Spanish.
It is bordered to the North by the United States and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Mexico has a musical history that is full of many different musical styles and influences.
For a long time, the area was dominated by the Aztec and Maya cultures. They had their own musical traditions, playing percussions and wind instruments such as flutes and whistles.
The Spanish invaded Central America in the 16th Century and incorporated their culture into the music of Mexico. They introduced instruments such as the guitar, the violin, and other brass and woodwind instruments.
Slaves were also sent from Africa and brought their own music with them.
Mariachi music is very popular in Mexico. It appeared in the 18th century and was influenced by all these different styles of music and the arrival of new musical instruments.
The presence of Mariachis is almost a requirement on national celebrations and at weddings or parties.
Have a listen to Mariachi Sol De Mexico, led by GRAMMY-nominated conductor/bandleader Jose Hernandez, to get a taste of the music.
The Mexican Hat Dance (in Mexican called Jarabe Tapatío) is the national dance of Mexico.
It is a courtship dance and the music was composed by Jesús González Rubio in the 19th Century.
It’s become a popular tune for Mariachi bands to play and the dance is taught in nearly every school in Mexico.
One of the features of the Mexican Hat Dance is that in traditional versions, it speeds up as the dance goes on. This is called ‘changing tempo’.
Try tapping along with this clip from a film where the dancers perform the Mexican Hat Dance and another song, ‘La Bamba’, and notice how the tempo speeds up!
If you’d like to have a go at learning the moves for the Mexican Hat Dance, you can watch this tutorial.
We would love to see how you get on! If you want, you can share your dance videos on social media using #ONLittleSchool.
What you need:
Two plastic cups. (If you don’t have them at home, you can use other objects – you just need to be able to bang them together!)
You’ll either need to sit on a floor or sit at a table or desk.
Watch this video of Chris, who will show you the actions we’re going to use.
Now have a go at doing the challenge together with Chris to a recording of the Mexican Hat Dance.
Thankfully the tempo doesn’t speed up in this version!
We hope you enjoyed your trip to Mexico! You can always tell us where in the world you would like to travel next using #ONLittleSchool on social media.
