Mariachi, a coveted musical art form that has helped craft much of the music we know to this day. Mariachi was originated in Jalisco, Mexico in the 19th century and is now known throughout Mexico and many parts of the United States. The musical art form is known to have many classic songs that have great meanings and tend to be played at celebrations such as weddings, birthday parties and baptisms. Mariachi first came to Los Angeles in the 1940's and from then on became a key part of culture which has helped revolutionize the music industry and even go on to help create one of Blondie's biggest hits.
"There is no music of Los Angeles without mariachi and banda and son jarocho, without bossa nova and samba, without mambo and cha cha cha and salsa, without Latin jazz helping West Coast jazz find its sound, without R&B and rock tuning "south of the border" or "South American Way." Or to musicalize the question from artist Rubén Ortiz-Torres, how could we listen to L.A. (Los Angeles) without the music of L.A. (Latin America)? How could we listen to Latin America without the music of Los Angeles? The city's distinctive musical urbanism is unthinkable without Latin American migrant sounds and migrant musicians. "Boom in Latin rhythms bigger than ever in L.A.," jazz magazine Down Beatdeclared in 1954, but truth is the boom was always booming, the tide was always high."