ma·​ri·​a·​chi ˌmär-ē-ˈä-chē ˌmer- 1. : a small, strolling, Mexican band consisting usually of trumpeters, guitarists, and violinists. also : a musician belonging to such a band.

Word Origin For years, authorities believed the word mariachi (or its variant, mariache) was an indigenous Mexican word, but recent evidence points to a mixed Spanish and indigenous (mestizo) origin. The earliest known written examples of the word date from the early 1800s, where it is found as a place name.