Mariachi Bands
          In Plaza Garibaldi
Mexico City, Mexico
Mariachi bands provide Mexico's leading folk music.
Mexico City hosts a unique evening Mariachi event
in Plaza Garibaldi, near the Zocalo.  Large numbers
of Mariachi bands come here to audition, playing  
music, wearing their often elaborate costumes, and
hoping to land a job at a wedding or similar event.
Potential clients who wish to hire a Mariachi
band can look and listen to one after another,
until they find a band that suits their tastes.
The instruments vary from band to band, but many
of them seemed to be performing the same best
known traditional standards.  Some Mariachi
music is purely instrumental, but singing is
generally expected as well.
With so many bands playing at the same time, Plaza
Garibaldi was hardly an ideal place for my video
camera to record great Mariachi audio, but I did
the best I could.  The video shows off Mariachi
costumes and includes some actual performances.
As a Mariachi fan, to really enjoy this music, I need
to attend the annual festival in Guadalajara.
If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the
Intrepid Berkeley Explorer's free streaming video of this
trip to Central America and Mexico, "Mayavision", by
clicking on AdventurePics.com .