Mariachi music is unique in its ability to incorporate different musical traditions while remaining closely associated with mestizo Mexican identities. It has become one of the most salient symbols that people associate with Mexican culture.

However, the consensus of musical historians can answer the question, “Where did mariachi originate?” 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.

Today, mariachi bands usually feature at least four musicians. Often, they include as many as a dozen or more! Traditional mariachi instruments are the violin, guitar, guitarrón, and vihuela (a small five-string guitar with a round back).