Songs of Mexico's Ancestral languages including Nahuatl, Zapotec, Maya, Purepecha etc.,

The Bolero is a style of music that was first coined in Spain,danced in 2/4 time and associated with the gypsy community.

In the late 1880's.. the Cuban song writer Pepe Sanchez wrote "Tristezas" and a labeled it as a Bolero... over the next 30 years the Bolero evolves the core of its current form as a synthesis of African percussion, the Haitian cinquillo and Yucatecan Sones and settles into a 4/4 time that is danced with 3 steps.

The Mexican Bolero further evolves in the 1920's incorporating influences that distinguish it from its Cuban counterparts: Greater attention to Melody and Lyrics, Jazzy influences, and
Classical Guitar / Piano vis a vis Manuel M Ponce & Debussy. Over time the definition of Bolero has been amplified to include Danzones, Danzas & Serenatas interpreted by Bolero performers and arranged with a Boleroesque sound.

Mexican boleros have been performed in just about every country... and by everyone from Luciano Pavarotti to the Beatles. John Lennon was particularly touched by the Bolero, after recording Besame Mucho it influenced "Yesterday" as well as "And I Love Her"

Alvaro Carrillo & Agustin Lara are the giants of this genre, having composed world reknown songs in quantity. Each has a different take, the humble self taught Carrillo delivers haunting melodies & precise lyrics. Agustin Lara's music is perhaps less haunting but offers a classic sophistication. In either case, both guys will continue to be relevant for centuries.

Other notables of the genre are Maria Grever (What a Difference a Day Makes), Consuelo Velazquez (Besame Mucho), Luis Demetrio (La Puerta) and Gonzalo Curiel.

The Solistas style of Bolero is usually interpreted by a single Singer, backed by a small orchestra that usually consists of: Acoustic Bass. Requinto Guitar and/or Piano, Light Percussion (Maracas, Bongo etc.,), Sax or Trumpet. Some groups also incorporate Marimba, Harp, Salterio, Cello, Violins, Trombone, Flute and even Electric Guitar

A few years back PBS funded a program called "Mariachi: Soul of Mexico"... and while Mariachi is certainly an important genre... anybody that knows Mexico understands that it is most definitely NOT the soul of Mexico. If any style or genre of music can be described as such, it would be the Son or rather the various regional styles of the Son... of which the Mariachi genre is just one.

Sadly, there is a lot of misinformation about the Son that denies its origins of its rightful place. Despite many ignorant, unfounded claims the Son doesn't originate in Cuba, Africa or Spain... its origins lie in Pre-Hispanic Music.

Son is simply the Spanish name given to the genre, its derived from Sonajeros which roughly translates as "Those Who Make Music with Bead Filled Shells" and refers to a family of Pre-Hispanic instruments in which beads, rocks or dried beans are put in shells, conch or small gourds to be used as percussion.

Mesoamerican music was largely characterized by simple Flutes & Ocarinas played on the Pentatonic Scale, Rhythmic Complexity (involving a variety of instruments, clapping, stomping etc.,), wide use of Timbre, and simple harmonics (evidence supports some instruments with Arpeggio capabilities, harmonizing of Flutes & Conch as well as a bit of polyphonic singing.

Contact with the European, African & Asian world provided new influences, instruments & ideas to the Son... but likewise it also deeply influenced the Old World as well. The Chaconne was a style of music the Spanish adapted from Mesoamerica to European instruments and exported back to the Europe where it became a common music form, from modern day Portugal to Austria. Furthermore, the Mesoamerica Son with its complex narrative and expressive power also revolutionized European music and inspired the development of the earliest Sonatas.

Furthermore, while Cuba has been a great fountain of inspiration for Mexican music; it should also be noted that Cuba was also deeply influenced by the Son (particularly the sytles from the Yucatan) having direct bearing on the Son Montuno of Western Cuba (which is the basis of most Afro-Cuban & Latin Jazz today). And it should also note, that Son's reach also influenced the development of Jazz... as it was a building block in Rag music.


The Son today takes on many divergent forms & styles but with some common threads rooted in the Ancient:

In Mesoamerican styles dancers with their shell-percussions where an essential part of the percussion. Likewise in Post-Colonial Son... the Zapateado (tap dancing over an elevated wooden dance floor) is equally important.

Mesoamerica was characterized by trancelike improvising on the Flute, Chants & Singing... similarly today the Son is still characterized by improvisation in the lead melodic instrument, as well as the singing (many Sones are structured such that verses are inspired during the song).

Mesoamerican music was very communal, inclusive & participative. It was usually a celebration of deities, ceremonies or preparation for battle. Similar, Sones today are performed in Fandango style with most in attendance participating in one way or another, and are also commemorating some deity.

The following are the most common & well documented, Genres of Contemporary Son:

Son Jarocho
Son Arribeno
Son Huasteco
Son Bajeno
Son Calientino
Son Istmeno
Son Chileno
Son Chiapaneco
Son Yucateco
Son Norteno