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MEXICO: MARIACHI
One of the most popular types of Mexican music is mariachi. It is created by combining singing with violins, trumpets, guitarrons (like a guitar, but has a bigger body and a smaller neck) and vihuelas (tiny guitars with only 5 strings). The musicians (usually eight) are commonly seen in restaurants and strolling the streets. They play at parties, weddings, and funerals. The most popular clothing is the silver studded charro suits, frilly shirts and wide brimmed hats. Their songs are about love, death, betrayal, and even politics. Everyone is familiar with La Cucaracha which is a song about cockroaches. The mariachi originated in the southern part of the state of Jalisco sometime in the nineteenth century. No one is sure where the name comes from. Many believe that it came from the French word for wedding because of the type of music played at these events. Today, mariachi music is played around the world. This part of Mexican culture and history is celebrated each year in September in its birthplace, Jalisco. 1. Every mariachi band has several colorful charro suits, frilly shirts, momos (bow ties) and fancy sombreros. If one group has 2 suits, 5 shirts, 3 momos, and 2 sombreros, how many different outfits do they have? 2. One mariachi group sang for 2 hours and 15 minutes. One corrido (song which tells a story) took 20% of the time. How long was the corrida? 3. Make a Venn diagram to show what each member of this band does.
4. On a certain Sunday, three different mariachi bands stroll the streets of Mexico City entertaining people in the Zocolo (downtown area). Band A moves quickly and sings short songs. They stop 3 times more than Band B. Band B serenades couples sipping drinks in the outdoor cafes. They stop 1 1/2 times more than Band C. Band C is moving slower and spending more time at each stop. Together the bands stop 70 times. How many times does each group stop?
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