Some music of Mexico

A common first thought on this topic is mariachi. The three main instruments used in mariachi is the guitarron, charango, and vihuela. The guitarron has a low sound to it and is used as the bass, though it does have six heavy strings (large guitar furthest to the left). It has a convex back.

The charango is traditionally made of an armadillo shell and is a small guitar (top middle). Modern versions are made of wood, however.

The vihuela (middle right) is used as a rhythm guitar with roots in Spain and has a convex back, as well. It is a bit smaller than the large guitarron.

The other instruments in the picture are of Latin American origin.

Now, let's look at a grammy award winning band, The Mars Volta, first. This band sounds like a big mess to unprepared ears, but once one listens a few times, he or she will start picking up on the concept, and may even fall in love.

So, why is The Mars Volta a topic on a geography blog? Well, start by taking a look at the background of two band members: Omar Alfredo Rodriquez-Lopez, Cedric Bixler-Zavala. These two are the backbone of The Mars Volta and have been working together since At the Drive-In, which is another awesome band.

Lopez is a multi-instrumentalist from Puerto-Rico and plays guitar in The Mars Volta.

Zavala is the vocalist of The Mars Volta and has a mexican background, but is raised in El Paso, Texas.

In their music the vocalist uses spanish and english in his lyrics and reflects Mexican music styles, many of which originally came from Spain.