“El Mariachi” translates to the word “musician.” It originally came from the movie “El Mariachi” which was about a guy who sang romance but nobody liked that about him–but he never cared and continued to sing romance wherever he went and whenever he sang.

Since the 1930s, the mariachi has been widely considered the quintessential Mexican folk-derived musical ensemble, and has become an institution symbolic of Mexican music and culture. Mariachi groups are currently found in many countries around the world.

Historians place the origin of mariachi music in the western part of Mexico, likely in an area encompassing the states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Colima.

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.