PICTURED SITES ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS TEXT.
Vantage describes Mexico as a surprisingly complex nation of many cultures, ancient civilizations, and friendly people which we explored ranging from charming Spanish-colonial towns with cobbled plazas and vast complexes of pre-Columbian ruins to sophisticated cities full of culture, baroque architecture and the arts. We learned of the people's traditions through music and dance performances and museum visits.
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Guadalajara is on a plain with an elevation of more than a mile surrounded on three sides by mountains. The country's second-largest city has more than four million people. Its name is similar to a city in Spain and comes from an Arabic word meaning "river of rocks."
Tlaquepaque, its relationship to Guadalajara like a suburb, is known for its arts and crafts. Pedestrian malls and plazas are lined with over 300 shops, many of them run by generations of the same families. Hand-carved wood furniture, ceramics, blown glass, hand-woven clothing, and many other craft items are sold there.
Although the ceramics museum named for Pantaleon Panduro is considered the more outstanding of two there, we had an opportunity to visit only the Regional Ceramics Museum. Exhibits in a colonial-style mansion explain the evolution of ceramics in that area during the 20th century. Six common processes used by local ceramics artists are explained.
This area was first known as Tlacapan, meaning "men who make clay utensils with their hands." Tlalic-pac means "over clay hills." Occupation of the area dates to 1530. It has retained its distinct character as Guadalajara surrounded it.
Tlaquepaque is considered one of the main pottery production areas in the country, although it is known for other arts and crafts items. Dresses are made of wool, cotton, poplin, and gauze, and garments are embroidered. Its blown glass is the country's best and most well-known. Practical items like dishes, cups, and glasses are made here as well as decorative figures of people and animals. Bronze, copper, brass and tin are used in a great variety of products such as lamps, decorative figures, candelabrums, street-lamps, frames, and flowerpots. Paper mache objects such as animals are well known.
A performance by one of few female mariachi bands was arranged for our tour group. Mariachi music and the grouping of instruments originated in this region of Mexico, especially in Guadalajara. Traditional mariachi groups play primarily string instruments, such as guitars, a large bass guitar, a folk harp with 30 to 40 strings, violins, a flat-backed,five-string guitar, and guitars with round backs. In some areas of Mexico a bass drum or snare drum is occasionally added.
The term mariachi comes from two of the native languages of Mexico. Mariachi originally referred to a social event involving dancers who performed on a wooden platform similar to the Spanish fandango. Today, though, mariachi refers to both a kind of music as well as the ensemble playing it. Before the use of motorized transportation, mariachi bands traveled from town to town by walking or by train, mule, or horse.
Since the 1930's, the mariachi band has been the most nationally prominent folk-derived Mexican music ensemble. Trumpets were added during the 1930's. Today a mariachi ensemble includes two groups of instruments: the melody group (violins and trumpets) and the harmony group (different types of guitar and occasionally harp).
Traditional mariachi ensembles played melodies and music for folk dancing that were associated with the various regions of Mexico. Now the traditional music is played as well as others: mambo, cha-cha, salsa, and popular music from urban centers of Mexico and other countries. Some mariachi songs are played for the traditional masses celebrating the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, but most mariachi music is secular. The music is often fast and vigorous, with strong rhythms. Melodies are often sung in thirds in a high vocal range.
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