Traditional Huichol music (Wixarika)

Huichol traditional music: spirituality made sound

The traditional Huichol music It is much more than a collection of melodies: it is a profound reflection of Wixárika spirituality, inseparable from their festivals, ceremonies, and dances. Each celebration has its own repertoire, designed to accompany rituals, sacrifices, and sacred movements.

With very few instruments, only the violin, the guitar, the tepo (drum, the voice of God for the Huichol) and the sonaja (rattle made from a gourd), apart from the flute and the horn, used sporadically, these are the means by which the Huichol musician communicates or expresses his experiences.

Characteristic instruments

• Violin y guitar: melodic base.

• Tepo: considered the “voice of God”.

• Rattle: a bell made from a pumpkin.

• Flute and horn: used on special occasions.

Its pentatonic style, with just five tones, generates a hypnotic and repetitive sound experience that connects the listener with the ancestral.

The album Huichol Song and Ceremony The Cruz family's album brings together nine tracks recorded around the fire, evoking the intimacy of traditional ceremonies.

Contemporary Huichol music: roots that evolve

The contemporary Huichol music It combines tradition and modernity. The sounds of xaweri y kanari They are performed with improvised verses and accompany the tap dance, while the mariachi musicians incorporate corridos and popular songs in Huichol and Spanish.

The mariachi repertoire includes corridos and other popular songs, sometimes with lyrics in Huichol, but played with instruments of mestizo tradition (violin, vihuela, double bass). Currently, the most famous group is Venado Azul from Nueva Colonia, Jalisco.

The mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental, north of Jalisco, are inhabited by a mystical and beautiful culture in which enigmatic worlds are constantly created whose recurring protagonists are moons, suns, trees, labyrinths, spirals, mountains and cosmic oceans that tirelessly appear expressed in the art, religion and customs of the Huicholes.

One of the best-known Wixarika music groups is "Huichol Musical". They formed as a group in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, but most of the original group members are from Nueva Colonia, municipality of Mezquitic, state of Jalisco, Mexico.

Another group is "El Venado Azul" The group El Venado Azul was formed by four members of the Huichol community of the northern highlands of Jalisco. After the disintegration of the original group, José López Robles, founder and director of the group decided to relaunch the concept, maintaining the original roots of their region, i.e. the Huichol dialect and the characteristic dress.