On the bus to the Tuesday Market recently — which I wrote about in my previous WOW post — the driver played Andean flute music on his sound system. It was the same type of music played by young Peruvian musicians in the subways of New York when I lived there for twenty years.
This music, in my experience, casts a spell. In New York City, harried, rushing commuters would stop in their tracks to listen to these performers, drop money into their collection-hat, and sometimes buy their tapes. On the bus last week here in San Miguel, the passengers were enthralled by these flutes, as was I.
In the courtyard next door now I hear a young Mexican mother singing along with her radio as she hangs her just-washed laundry on the line. I don’t stare at her or make myself known; I just listen. Her voice is beautiful, rich, throaty and sure. If she were in a choir, I think she’d sing in the alto section. She sings unselfconsciously, from the heart, seemingly unaware of her talent or her hidden appreciative audience, me.
Elsewhere in my neighborhood, I watch as an old Mexican man in a white cowboy hat builds a brick wall, brick by brick, with toughened experienced hands, while music from a boom-box entertains him. He’s listening to love songs, I know, because I can pick up a few words here and there: corazón (heart), amor (love), querida (darling), conmigo (with me), a ti (to you)… He is too busy working to notice me noticing him. I’m guessing this is at least the thousandth brick wall he’s built in his long life; and I’m guessing, too, that the love songs help to make his hard labor softer.
Music is everywhere here in Mexico – not just from the handsome iconic mariachi ensembles in their tight-fitting, glittering outfits (called charros), and matching broad-brimmed sombreros, at all celebratory events — and not just from the ice cream vendors in their motorized carts plying the streets of the children-filled neighborhoods. The gas-delivery truck announces itself with music, as well. And the junk man in his rickety pickup, hawking such items as old stoves and used mattresses, blasts recorded piano ragtime music. It’s positively endearing.
You’ll find music in the mercados (markets) and supermarkets, in the buses, in taxis, and coming, of course, from the souped-up cars of young muchachos (guys) driving by. You’ll see grown men lovingly carrying their unsheathed guitars, ready to sit on any park bench and play, just for the joy of it. You’ll hear ooompah-oompah music that reminds you of Germany or Poland, as well as flute music from Peru. It’s a mezcla (mix) of music from everywhere and every era.
According to the the website Facts About Mexico, “Mexico is home to some of the most diverse music in the world, celebrating the local culture throughout the country. Influenced by Mexico’s peoples and their past, it celebrates life and love. It talks of history, legends, and overcoming oppression. Above all, it is a vibrant part of Mexican life.” (For more on the types and history of Mexican music, visit: https://www.facts-about-mexico.com/mexican-music.html.)
But it’s more than that, it seems to me. The music here, in all its diversity, has shaped the people’s lives. Mexicans don’t just sit and listen to music or get up and dance to it. They breathe it, drink it, eat it, work to it. For them, it appears, music is not just a pleasant diversion, it’s a necessity of life. And all those love songs throughout their lives have permanently sweetened their hearts and uplifted their souls.
As one young person put it, “Music is in Mexicans’ veins, like sugar is in the veins of those who drink a lot of Coke.”
I’ve only recently realized that of all the places I’ve been to and lived in in the world, Mexico is the most musical country I’ve known.
Being a predominantly visual person, I’ve always thought I could live in a silent world – that is, if I were forced to do so. I love the tranquility of silence. But Mexico is changing me. After nearly six years here I see I’ve developed a real thirst for its happy, heart-filled, soulful music, in all its delicious flavors. I wouldn’t want to live without this now.
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My husband and i have traveled extensively in Mexico and your post reminded of one of the many reasons we love it so, thanks
Thank you for this, Nuala. Yes, Mexico is easy to love — once you meet her face to face. 🙂
Hi Bonnie, Love this post….along with all of the others you write. I can picture it all….your wonderful description brings it all to life. I’ve never been to Mexico, but it sounds like you live in a pretty corner of the world. Hope you are doing well. Take care and stay safe.
❤️ Pam Butler
So lovely to hear from you, Pam! Yes, thank you, it is beautiful here, in so many ways. I hope some day you’ll be able to come for a visit and see for yourself.
Bonnie, this was beautifully written, and I too have come to love the music here. And of course here in Guanajuato, we have the nightly parades of estudiantes weaving their way through the callejónes, singing and playing their stringed instruments, dressed in Renaissance clothing, and leading a group of touristas. The students make extra money to help them during their time at the University. And I even love my exuberant neighbor when he is chipping away rock in his home, after his normal working hours, adding an additional room for his home. He sings so enthusiastically that I don’t mind that he is off-key! Abrazos a ti ♥️
Oh, Vanessa, I’m thrilled that you shared these vivid anecdotes! Thank you. Thinking of you and hoping all is well, BB xx
Yes indeed! San Miguel is full of music. A few other places I’ve been where music is prominent — Ireland, Scotland, Peru, San Francisco, New Orleans, Manhattan, Argentina….
Yes, I’ve been to many of the places you mention, Kim, as well as others that are noted for their music (Mali, for example). But in my experience the music didn’t SHAPE the people there, as it does here.
I have always wondered about how musical our outlook is in Mexico.
Yes, Gilda. These thoughts have only come to me recently.
Love your article. It made me remember the time I spent in Ecuador, listening to Andean flute music everywhere. Love the music there and here in Mexico.
Thank you, Pat. Yes, Andean flute music is especially enchanting.
Beautiful, Bonnie! Música es vida.
Gracias, querida Te! Es la verdad! — xx
Lovely – just lovely
Thanks
Thank you, dear Kate! Hope you’re doing well.
Dear Bon,
How beautifully your words echo the musical mosaic you describe. I completely understand your being comfortable with silence, but music has the power to lift us out of ourselves and into a fuller, richer, and more connected existence. Music makes us happier, and that’s quite an extraordinary feat. Thank you for reminding us of its magic.
Love,
Paul
Thank you, dear Paul. You have made my day! Abrazos fuertes (strong hugs), BB xx
Me gusta que disfrutes la música mexicana tan variada. Esta semana (16) fue la celebración de la Independencia de Mexico la cual es mas notoria la música del Mariachi. Un abrazo Bonnie
Thank you, querida Maria! Are you back in MX now?
I am fed by the natural world, music and the arts, all gifts of Creator, all free to those willing to listen and see. Thank you for this visual and auditory reminder of such gifts.
Anna Copeland
And thank YOU, dear Anna, for adding your voice (and your heart) to the conversation. Hope you and family are well, and I’m looking forward to your return to SMA.
I so agree with you. Music and aromas bring back memories—the smell of banana bread cream from the oven, for example. Even the texture of the crispy end piece. Music evokes how I felt as a lonely teenager listening to my Dad’s HiFi. I recently read a musician describing the soundtrack of his life. Of late, the music that lifts me up is that of mariachis. It transports me to a happy place. Thank you for reminding me!
And soon you’ll be back here, Suzanne, enjoying the mariachis in person! So looking forward to your return.
Bonnie, I’ve been receiving a lot of messages from you! I think you might have been hacked. If you send me an email I’ll send you screen shots of what I received!
Oh, dear. I don’t know what to do about it, Arti. I’ll e-mail you, as you suggest. Maybe you have some ideas/suggestions.