Son jarocho is a traditional musical style that originated in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. It is a lovely fusion of Spanish, indigenous, and African cultures. The term “jarocho” refers to the people and culture of Veracruz. Son jarocho is characterized by its lively rhythms, energetic melodies, and intricate guitar and harp playing.
The Spanish settlers and sailors that arrived in Mexico brought guitars and lutes as well as dances and rhythms like sevillanas, fandanguillos, bulerías, garrotines, and peteneras which laid the foundation for son jarocho. Other influences were distributed unevenly across the Veracruz territory, leading to noticeable regional variations. In some areas, like the Tuxtlas, the indigenous influence, primarily Nahua and Popoluca, is more pronounced, whereas in places like the Port of Veracruz and its surroundings, the African influence is more evident.
Son jarocho has deep cultural significance and has played a significant role in Mexican music and dance traditions. It has been a part of the Veracruz community for centuries and has evolved over time, incorporating influences from different cultures and regions.
In terms of musical instruments, son jarocho is typically performed with a variety of instruments, including the jarana (a small guitar-like instrument), the requinto (a smaller version of the jarana), the harp, and the quijada (a percussion instrument made from a donkey’s jawbone). The music is often accompanied by zapateado, a percussive dance style that involves rhythmic footwork.
The 20th century witnessed the consolidation of son jarocho in the form we know today. During the 1920s, the Ministry of Education embarked on the task of researching and collecting various folk expressions from different Mexican regions, including Veracruz.
Spanish musician Vicente Ruiz Maza and Mexican José Acosta, funded by the Ministry of Public Education in 1925, dedicated themselves to preserving and transcribing what they heard into musical notation. It was during this period that the first son jarocho recordings began to appear on 78 RPM records.
However, it wasn’t until the late 1930s that some son jarocho musicians set out on a journey that would take them to Mexico City, the historical cultural and communications hub of the country. At that time, national images were taking shape, reinforced by the movie industry, shaping the concept of what was considered “Mexican.”
Among the pioneers of this first wave of son jarocho musicians were Lorenzo Barcelata and Andrés Huesca. Lorenzo Barcelata, born in Tlalixcoyan composed some of the most well-known son jarocho tunes today, and even registering some traditional ones as his own, including the famous “Siquisirí.”
Andrés Huesca, born in the Port of Veracruz in 1917, played a significant role. He began recording in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the following decade that he became a public figure, promoting son jarocho from Mexico City. Andrés Huesca and his coastal musicians participated in films with a clear Veracruz ambiance, such as “Sólo Veracruz es bello” (1948) by Juan Bustillo Oro and “Flor de caña” (1948) by Carlos Orellana.
During this period, other Veracruz musicians arrived in Mexico City. One of them was Nicolás Sosa, who was invited to Mexico City by the folklore scholar Gerónimo Baqueiro Foster to make musicological transcriptions of the tunes Sosa had learned in his childhood and youth.
Lino Chávez, a requinto player born in Tierra Blanca, arrived in Mexico City a few years after Andrés Huesca and Nicolás Sosa, following in their footsteps in many ways. He was a part of Huesca’s group Los Costeños and later formed his own group, the Conjunto Medellín, establishing himself as one of the most influential groups in the new style of son jarocho.
In 1958, son jarocho made its grand debut to a broader international through the song “La Bamba,” performed by Mexican-American Ritchie Valens (Richard Valenzuela).
Revival and Contemporary Scene
In recent years, son jarocho has experienced a resurgence in popularity, both in Mexico and internationally. Notable son jarocho performers in recent decades include Son de Santiago from Santiago Tuxtla; Los Utrera from El Hato, with Esteban Utrera on the requinto as the family’s cornerstone; and Los Cultivadores del Son featuring Juan Pólito Baxin and Juan Mixtega Baxin.
Tlen Huicani from Xalapa/Jalapa is undoubtedly one of the most globally recognized and renowned groups, thanks to their association with the University of Veracruz.
Other high profile son jarocho artists include the Mono Blanco group led by Gilberto Gutiérrez; Antonio García de León; harp player La Negra Graciana; Tacoteno led by Juan Meléndez de la Cruz; Son de Madera directed by Ramón Gutiérrez; Grupo Siquisirí from Tlacotalpan; Los Parientes from Playa Vicente; and from the southern part of the state, Chuchumbé, among many others.
Various US-based bands now play son jarocho or incorporate elements of the genre into their music. Some notable bands located in the United States include Los Cenzontles, Cambalache, Radio Jarocho, Las Cafeteras, Son del Viento and David Wax Museum. Furthermore, rock groups like Cafe Tacuba, Quetzal, and Ozomatli have used instruments and rhythms from son jarocho in their music.
Son Jarocho Recordings:
La Negra Graciana – Son Jarocho (1994)
Grupo Mono Blanco – World Is Coming To An End (1997)
Son De Madera – Son De Madera (1997)
Los Cenzontles – Pasajero a Journey of Time & Memory (2004)
Son De Madera – Las Orquestas Del Día (2006)
Son de Mi Tierra – Son de Mi Tierra (2009)
Los Cenzontles – Con Su Permiso, Señores (2009)
Los Cenzontles – Shades of Brown (2015)
Tlen Huicani y Lino Chavez – Veracruz Son y Huapango (2020)
Grupo Mono Blanco – Fandango Sones Jarochos From Veracruz (2018)
Los Cenzontles – Juntos A La Distancia (2021)
Son Jarocho Books
Son Jarocho: Guía histórico-musical (Spanish Edition) by Rafael Figueroa-Hernández (2012)
Musical Mobilities: Son Jarocho and the Circulation of Tradition Across Mexico and the United States, Routledge Advances in Ethnography by Alejandro Miranda Nieto (2017)
Discografía general del son jarocho en los Estados Unidos (Spanish Edition) by Rafael Figueroa Hernández (2021)
Mario Barradas and Son Jarocho: The Journey of a Mexican Regional Music by Yolanda Broyles-González, Francisco González, et al. (2022)
Reflections on the Veracruz son jarocho: Images, Politics and Selected Themes of a Mexican Music and Dance Tradition (Hispanic Studies: Culture and Ideas Book 88) by Randall Kohl (2023)
Author: Iliana Cabrera
