NAYARIT

THE MESTIZO SONS OF NAYARIT

THEY CONSTITUTE A TRUE
FOLKLORIC WEALTH OF
MEXICO,
BECAUSE THEY PRESERVE THE
ELEMENTS
BASICS OF MESTIZAJE.

DELIVERS THE BEST OF YOUR

SOUL
ARTISTIC IN THE MUSIC OF THE
MARIACHEROS, (SET OF
GUITARS AND VIOLINS) THAT
ACCOMPANY THE PERFORMERS
OF THE SOUNDS OF PLATE OR
 POTORRICOS.

HISTORY

 MESTIZO SONS OF NAYARIT

The process of miscegenation in the Nayarit ethnic group begins with the
mixing between the indigenous people themselves, and is completed with the
arrival of the Spanish conquerors.

Upon their arrival, they found that the western region remained independent
of the Aztec and Phoré lordships.

Having a large number of towns that were grouped around several centers.
Of these, two of great importance stand out, on the one hand JALISCO, with the
towns of Tepic, Pochotitán, Huaristemba, Acualtempa, Jalcocotán, Zoquipan,
Zacualpan, Jaltemba, Mazatán and others; while the people of Ahuacatlán, who
had their own rulers, controlled Ixtlán, Cacalután, Mexpan, Zoatlán, Xala, Jomulco,
Tequepexpan, Tetitlán and others.

The domain of Aztlán (Place of Herons) extended to Culiacán and included

Sentispac with its towns Ixcuintla, Mexcaltitán and Acatlán. Acaponeta with his
people, Tecuala, Ayoacan, Ximapán and Tzaponzinco.

This diversity of lordships facilitated not only the conquest, but also the
mixture of their races and customs, thus achieving the complement of the mixture
of dances, dances, religion and customs, and as for music, they achieved an
amalgamation so intimate that we cannot separating where the indigenous is born
and where the European is mixed in terms of rhythms, not like that, in terms of
musical instruments.

This is how the primitive drum was changed for the guitarrón, the bowed
violin for the European violin, the scratching of scabbards for the guitar and the
vigüela, and the group that would later receive the name mariachi was born in the
West, with the pseudonym of large harp ensemble, Tierra Caliente ensemble and
others, depending on the State in which they are located.

These musical groups that accompanied from the beginning the fandangos
and dances that were initially called mariachi, referring to the dances and not to the
group that played them, are a tradition typical of the west of our Republic,
establishing only for clarification purposes that it is that today is the state of
Sinaloa, part of Sonora, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Colima, San Luis Potosí, part of
Aguascalientes and Durango, spiritually belonged to the Archbishopric of Nueva
Galicia, and that this name was originally given to Jalisco, to these states We can
add those of Guerrero and Michoacán, which do form part of the West of the
Republic.

These musical groups, in their beginnings, were closely linked to the musical
genres of MINUETES and SONES.

We will make it clear just out of courtesy that the name MINUETE has been
given to expressions fundamentally of religious and secular habit.

The minuets taken in this way constitute exclusively a musical prayer

performed in churches or in ceremonial courtyards in honor of the saints.

To the previous classification, add what they called SYRUP from the
beginning, consisting of the sequence of sounds played in a musical composition,
linked by musical airs that serve as a rest for the dancers, or, palomos or
sonecillos, forming all of these , a structure united in a piece of music.

Thus we can define the son as the set of melodies played with string and
percussion instruments, in which metered couplets are linked, generally
octosyllabic and of various groupings in their rhythm, which often includes
quatrains, limericks and tenths.
 Regarding its dance interpretation, we will say that for us son is a dance of
one or more couples, who perform tap dances, complementing and giving
emphasis to the rhythmic part of a musical piece.

Regarding its regionality, the son acquires, according to our knowledge,

stylistic modalities, being called: gusto, huapangos, chilenas, etc., depending on
the place where they have their regionality.

Those presented here, although due to their political situation of birth,

were Jalisco sones, some, due to their regionality and dance interpretation,
called them with the genetic name of SONES MESTIZOS DE NAYARIT, since
methodologically these are the result of the miscegenation of our musical
culture mixed with that of the Spanish conquerors.

The above is due to a family that already has a very special place in the
musical tradition of our state of Nayarit, and they are: ARNULFO ANDRADE
SANCHEZ (+) and JOSE ANGEL ANDRADE RIVAS, father and son
respectively; We owe the father the compilation of sounds such as El Buey,
La Majagua, El Ardillo and the countless sounds that make up the traditional
dances of our State; The preservation of the traditional zapateados of most,
if not all, of the sones is due to the son, guided by the taste and knowledge
of the father.

Starting in 1963, Don Arnulfo began his collaboration with the cultural
institutions of Nayarit, transmitting steps and collected music, achieving with
this work what we know today nationally as Nayarit Mestizo.

The sound produced by the metallic items used in the dance of MOORS and
CHRISTIANS, SPURS, MACHETES, KNIVES, etc., was found to be naturalized in
different states, but mainly the use of these elements in dances was concentrated
in JALISCO, MICHOACAN and NAYARIT, establishing in each of these its own
characteristics.
 In Michoacán, for example, we find the use of spurs in a dance called
Moros; this dance is also found in some municipalities of Guanajuato.

In Jalisco, the use of machetes is found in many dances: among the best
known, those of Santiago, which in this State are known by the name of
TASTOANES. In the state of Nayarit we find the use of machetes, (although this is
made of wood) in a dance in the Cora-Huichol region, which is danced during Holy
Week, the dance of LOS PARISEOS.

In these states, Jalisco, Nayarit and Colima, we find a dance that is very
popular nationwide, we know it by the name MORISMO, MACHETES OR
POTORRICOS, depending on whether the use of machetes or knives is used in
the interpretation of these sounds.

The performance of these dances has its origin in the peasant region
as a display of joy and celebration, the final clearing of their plots or
Coamiles in the ranches, ejidos in which, in the heat of drinks and with the
accompaniment of some son, They demonstrated skill in juggling knives and
machetes. The machetes did not hit with their edges, since they were not
used to kill, but rather with their edges, since they were used to hit the
opponent.

In Nayarit, when these implements were used in a son, the name

Morisma was given; when knives and machetes were used, they acquired the
name as they are known today: machete dances.

The polka, like the cuadrillas of Czech origin, arrived in Mexico as a

consequence of the French intervention, leaving the polka more deeply rooted in
popular taste than the cuadrillas.

In the state of Nayarit, the polka reaches the town in a very special way,
perhaps because of its particular way of dancing, since the couples intertwine by
the forearms and thus perform a corridito of point and heel, chains or baskets,
depending on taste and mood of the dancers; We knew the ranchero style of
dancing polka from Mr. Arnulfo Andrade, and later transmitted by his son Ángel, on
the Island of Mexcaltitán, this polka acquires a particular more modern style,
thanks to the music of MANUEL URIBE IBARRA (+), musician nayarita originally
from this island.

This musical current described occurs in Nayarit from the proliferation of

mariachi in the region, which covered the royal road of passage of the muleteers
when they followed the western coast back in the 1870s.

Simón Elías, known as “el pony”, a member of the traditional mariachi, was the one
who highlighted the mestizo sones.

 ANTHOLOGY OF THE MESTIZO SONS

Our country is rich in mestizo dances that characterize the new nationality
founded from the colony, with the European, African and Latin American
contributions that the Mexican circumstance brought with it.

These dances were brought to Mexico by the Spanish first and by the
soldiers of the invading army later and became popular throughout the country
during the revolutionary period.

The Nayarit mestizo sones that emerged in the first third of the 19th
century have preserved to this day that very peculiar style that associates
the highly difficult zapateado and makes reference to the environment,
especially the fauna, since at the beginning of the 19th century they became
popular. sounds with names of animals whose movement the dancers
imitated, such as the son of the Ox and the son of platform.

When dealing with the mestizo dance of Nayarit, it is worth noting that
its dances are composed of sounds with marked indigenous influence, both
in the music and in the execution of its steps and other body movements, the
sounds are mostly from anonymous composers, in such a way that they are
authentic products of popular expression.
 Despite its richness in traditions, Nayarit has allowed the influence of other
customs on dance properties; The most common sones such as “El Costeño”, “Las
Lomas de Ixcuintla”, “El Toro Loco” and “La Guacamaya” stand out on the northern
coast of the state, in the Center, El Valle de Matatipac, where the city of Matatipac
is located. Tepic and the South of the entity relate the names to the work of the
peasant and classify them according to what the dancers do, identifying with the
state of Jalisco.

Thus, we have sounds with somewhat curious names because in the

Sierra they give them names like “Comadre has the child”, “I'm going with
my girlfriend”, “El Jilguero”, “El Toro Viejo”, “El buey”, “El San Pedreño”,
etc.

Thus, the potorrico sones suitable for dancing with machetes, the
platform ones for zapateadores and the morisma ones for dancing with
knives.

The fact that the Nayarit peasant always dances with his inseparable
work partner stands out; the machete and the knife, showing off the skill in
using and handling them when dancing.

 HALF BLOOD

Word that comes from mextio whose meaning is mixture or mixed; The
mestizo sones of Nayarit were originally performed by people of mestizo
origin, that is, from the mixture of two rational trunks.

 ORIGIN
 The Nayarita mestizo sones have their origin in the town, they are
considered to be by anonymous authors and in the public domain.
 TRADITION

These sounds have been preserved since ancient times, they were
performed in the towns surrounding the state capital in celebrations
such as: WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS, BIRTHDAYS, RELIGIOUS
FESTIVALS, BURIALS, ETC.
The inhabitants gathered at the place of celebration, where a platform
had previously been placed and on it they performed their dance under
the notes of guitarrón and violin, later the bass was included.

 MAIN DANCES

 They are from platforms like: “CHACHALACO”, “CAPULINERO”,

“BACERRADA”, “PALO VERDE”, “La dawn”, etc.

 “POTORRICOS”. Dance and drumming that they performed barefoot.

 Syrup like “EL PALOMO”

 Paused Sounds.

 Jotas.- They were danced at the end of a Jarabe, without using a

platform, and their rhythm was also rafted.

When performing the dances, the man showed off his physical
resistance, his dancing ability and sometimes his skill in handling
knives and machetes, sometimes including his balance by holding
 a glass of wine on his head at the time. from executing the dance,
without missing the grace and femininity of the women who
accompanied them in the execution.

 PRESENT

The best-known mestizo sones are those that through various groups have
been managed to gather and spread throughout different parts of the
Republic and Abroad, such as the following:

 THE DEVIL Morisma, using machete and knives.

 THE OX They are slow stitching, 3 X 4 rhythm.

 COAMECATE They are made of platform.

 THE SQUIRREL They are made of platform.

 THE SAN PEDREÑO They are made of platform.

 THE MAJAGUA They are of Jalisco influence.

 THE GOLDFINCH Minuet.

 THE CHARCOAL Waltz.

 THE CAPULINERO They are those that were played in the

jaripeos.

 NAYARIT SYRUP Sones Mosaic.

 CHOREOGRAPHY

 Ambiguous Circles and lines

 INSTRUMENTS

 Violins, guitars and guitarrón were used.

 DRESS

In the making of this clothing, the Spanish influence is clearly seen in

terms of decorations and fabrics, cotton being used predominantly in
men's suits, but with European additions; For women, fabrics printed
with flowers in bright colors emerge, as well as the use of shawls.

The clothing of the water bearers and washerwomen. The women went
to the river wearing dresses with a sash with a ribbon, generally white,
with a flounce at the neck and ankle-length with a flounce at the
bottom edge. The women who washed the clothes were generally
married women who wore a white skirt with a sash with a ribbon and a
blouse with puffy sleeves and a ruffle collar.

The man wears a shirt or white blanket cotton with wide-sleeved

trousers with three sections at the back, with laces, to be tied around
the legs, reaching the ankle with a hem so as not to get tangled when
performing the sounds or to protect himself from the thorns of the
bushes, at the time of clearing of the Coamiles; Likewise, during the
sugarcane harvest they carried a woolen coat to cover themselves
from the cold and even from confrontations with machetes.
Over the shirt, they wear a bright-colored camisole, which at the
bottom ends with the front in two strips that serve to be tied at waist
height, leaving the chest exposed, showing off more the white of the
cotton or the shirt and the red bandanna tied around the neck as an
ornament and at the same time keeps sweat.

This type of costume is generally called ranchero costume, which is

completed with woven huaraches with double soles and not with
wooden covers as some groups currently use, resulting in a
degeneration derived from Michoacan groups or conquest dancers,
who They began the use of these accessories on the sole of the
huaraches to facilitate the sound of the footsteps in the interpretation
of the sones; If the double-soled huarache is well made, wood is not
needed to give it sound, but rather the tanning of the leather is what
gives it this sound.

The ranch man, or peasant of Nayarit, initially used the sollate palm
hat, which is the one that the indigenous people of the entire West
used; This was made with braids of four, eight and sixteen threads,
with a short and flat brim, the small cup on two walls, on a strip of
wool cord to form the heat of the cup, leaving a slit that was in a
vertical line of each ear. , through which the ends of the cords passed
to form the chinstrap, as it is commonly known; These cords at the
base of the cup formed what we call a toquilla, and the holes what we
call wires or chin straps; In these hats, at least in Nayarit, there were
no escutcheons on the crown or piping on the short brim.

Starting in 1920, the sollate hat began to be replaced by a short-topped hat

with four stones and a small, flat brim, because in those years the town
authorities began putting pressure on the ranchers to use this hat and not
Sollate's, which they considered a denigrating article.

The machete was, and still is, used by field men for their clearing
tasks in the fields; These accessories have been an inseparable
element of the peasants, the most commonly used are the “guango” or
“cow tongue”
machete, because it
has a long and wide,
very flexible blade, and
the “desmonte”
machete, which is a bit
shorter and firmer
blade; There is a short
machete that ends at the
tip in the shape of the letter “C”, which is called “casanga”, because of the
purpose for which it serves, as it is commonly used for dancing, it is the No
machete. 10, generally called a clearing machete, has a great sound, ideal
for showing off its tapping. With the latter, it is the one with which the sones
called potorricos dance in Nayarit.

There are two weapons that in the past the peasants of almost the entire
western part of the Republic carried as faithful companions on their waists:
they were the Dagger and the KNIFE. The dagger is a weapon with a short
and very thin blade, slightly wavy, which ends in a very sharp point, very
similar to the Moorish scimitar or dagger. The knife has a wider and longer
blade and no stop on the handle. These two weapons described here, with
which our peasants have used them as weapons for common use and for
personal defense.
The previous implements described have been those used in Jalisco
and Nayarit, to dance potorricos and morismas, using the melodies of
any son that is present in their rhythm to impress the others who
attended the parties, many times, at the end of The clearings, or the
finish, as others call them, these sounds are danced as a kind of
propitiatory dance to nature for the advent of a good harvest.

The woman, in her clothing, used cotton materials such as calico and poplin
in her underwear, with white predominating in the underwear, which
consisted of a bra, which was called a "bra" or “size”, with a wide body,
because they reached the waist, about 5 or 10 cm. Above the navel starting
from a little below the birth of the breasts. The upper part of the waist had a
square neckline with straps; On top of this was the white shirt or bottom,
which were the two names that this garment received; The bottom was a
kind of dress with a fitted waist, with a square neckline without sleeves and
the part of the skirt in an “A” line or half circular, as the case may be.

The dress consisted of two items, the blouse, made of cotton fabric
with printed flowers, or plain satin or embossed in bright colors, its
sleeves were in the shape of a sheepskin leg, puffed on the man's side,
and finished with a pleat on the back. elbow and this up to half the
arm, in the shape of a
tube; Because of their
shape, other people
called them “bulb
sleeves,” because they
resembled the bulb of an
old oil lamp.

The pleated shoulder-to-

shoulder hem, decorated at
the tips with lace, which was formerly made by hand in hook stitch with
crochet thread; high and round neck, also adorned with lace, generally white
or contrasting with the color of the blouse or blouson as SW generally calls
it, due to the fact that a flowered ruffle emerges from the waist, forming a
skirt of about fifteen or twenty centimeters , finished at the tip with lace or
bobbin; The front of the blouse has from the center of the neck, to the edge
of the cotton, a drawstring decorated on the sides with lace and in the center
with buttons. This blouse is closed in the front, with the buttoning or closure,
or buttons in the back.

The skirt is wide, in blades, it is made of cotton fabric printed with

colored flowers, at the bottom it has a double flare, which, on the
inside, is the color of the blouse.

The woman combs her hair with a part in the center of her head,
finishing with two braids adorned with a colored ribbon, falling to the
sides of her shoulders; She completes her adornment with colored
combs , the birth of braids and gold coquettes, on her neck she often wears
paper necklaces or chains with crosses or medals, a shawl made of Santa
María balls, the color of the print on the skirt.

In addition, she carries in

her right hand a heart-
shaped fan made of palm,
embroidered with colored
yarn that they used to blow
air while dancing.

She complements her

underwear with the mid-
19th century style panties, with long, domed legs with lace or draped
 decorations, and among her decorations there is also the palm fan of
the region, wearing Adelita boots, with purse buttons on the back.
forehead.
The mestizo sones are always accompanied by the so-called traditional
mariachi, since this does not incorporate trumpets as in most Jalisco
mariachis, but only has string instruments as in the beginning.

 PROPS
The women who went to the river carried a clay jug to
collect water.

Likewise, they carried a little boy with the men's dirty

and sooty clothes to later wash them.

When dressing in their colorful gala dress

for the holidays, they carried the fan.

The man always carried his knife at his waist and

his machete in his hand.
  “ZAFRA CAÑERA” PROGRAM

The sugarcane harvest begins with the sound of the goldfinch, where the farmers
show how they harvested the product to take it for processing, however, this
process left the men's clothes very dirty, because due to the burning of the
sugarcane, their clothing became dirty. .

From there, we proceed with the water carriers, they were women who went to
collect water so they could wash the peasants' clothes. After that, they became
laundresses, each woman washed her husband's clothes.

In the heat of cleaning and at the end of the sugarcane harvest, the awarding of
the best sugarcane product takes place, in this case the sugarcane, whose
characteristics had to be good thickness and great height. Which, through some
judges, the verdict is given, and since in all cases there is cheating, a controversy
arises between the contestant who cheated and the respective winner, and this is
where the confrontation of “Son de damned” ends. ”.

Through the drinks drunk, the density of the atmosphere becomes more intense.
However, there is always a judge within the contest, who is the one who tries to
control the situation of any disorder that arises. That is why a stage sound is
performed, on this occasion “El Limoncito”, which calms the atmosphere, but
despite this, the tension continues between the contestants, and from there the
“Son de strapes” emanates. , where confrontations with machetes continue to
culminate with that present injustice.

REPERTOIRE:

1. They are from the

Goldfinch.
2. Water bearers.
3. Laundresses.
4. Pugueño.
5. Damn.
6. The Limoncito.
7. Straps.

1. THEY ARE FROM THE

GOLDFINCH.
Juan Ríos Martínez, musician and author of son. Characterized by being slow and
melodious in sound, which combines a harmonic series of low and high notes.
Which, its name is attributed to it due to the similarity of the song it has with the
birds that are called Goldfinch. The field men, within their arduous tasks, were
accompanied by
these birds, to
make the work of
cutting cane
more pleasant.

2. WATER
BEARERS.
Dedicated to the Acayapan
neighborhood, in the El
Naranjal neighborhood, in
the city of Tepic, Nayarit, where women carried out their domestic household
chores such as going to the river for water, so based on the customs of the
neighborhood in which they lived, arose dance pieces dedicated to highlighting
each of these.

It is known that with the domestic routine of women from before, the custom,
almost habit, of bringing water to their home by going to bring it to the river
appears, thus arising the dance called “Aguadoras”, whose execution is joyful to
the spirit and is pleasant. visible due to the type of music and the diversity of colors
and shapes of the clothing that is to the taste of the participant.

3. WASHERS.
Likewise, the
“Washerwomen”
dance was born,
which observes the
same characteristics
of the previous one,
and originates from the woman's custom of washing every day in the stream, as
many other dances originate, obeying this aspect. of human life.

4. THEY ARE FROM PUGUEÑO.

Daniel Pulido Escareño (musician and author), died at the age of 108.
Pugueño: Comes from the community of Francisco I. Madero (Puga), a place
where cane predominates and where in the past there was a mill and according to
the amount of canes it became a mill. Which, in the festivals of this community, the
best sugarcane product was awarded. That's why sugarcane is so important that to
this day the town continues to harvest sugarcane.
5. THEY ARE DAMN.
They are damned: they are dedicated to Don Daniel Pulido Escareño, in which this
character made the request to present it on stage to maestro Ángel Andrade Rivas,
who tells the version of this son. It is about the confrontation of two men, through
the skill of knives, to conquer a woman.

It is a son presented in 1994 at the XXIV National Congress of Dance Teachers of

the Institute for Research and Dissemination of Mexican Dance, based in the city
of Tepic, Nayarit, by the dancers Rubén Batista Guardado and Jorge Luis
Miramontes Templates.
6. THEY ARE FROM LIMONCITO.
From the collection of Don Arnulfo Andrade Sánchez and Don Trinidad Aguayo, it
was recorded in 1968, performed and sung as a duet with José Ángel Andrade
Rivas in the programming of the Nayar dance group, being widely disseminated
due to the specularity of its execution.
Don Trinidad Ríos Aguayo knew the verses of Son del Limoncito, but only 3 of the
verses that are the best known today were rescued.

FIRST VERSE:
The lemon must be green for it to turn purple,
The lemon must be green for it to turn purple,
For love to last it must be hidden,
For love to last it must be hidden, little lemon little lemon...

SECOND VERSE:
From your window to mine you threw a lemon at me,
From your window to mine you threw a lemon at me,
The lemon hit me in the face and the juice hit my heart,
The lemon hit me in the face and the juice hit my heart, little lemon, little lemon...

THIRD VERSE:
Little lemon hanging from a twig,
little lemon little lemon hanging on a twig,
give me a tight hug and a kiss from your little mouth,
Give me a tight hug and a kiss from your little mouth, little lemon, little lemon.

7. THEY ARE WITH STRAPS.

Correas: It is a son performed by Mr. Daniel Pulido Escareño, a musician born in
the community of Jalcocotán, Nayarit. Among the sounds that we can mention are:
sons of damned, sons of Pugueño, sons of the cora, the as, the platanero, the
arrebato, the huicholita and an endless number of melodies whose names are
unknown. He mentioned that he had to live in the time of the Cristeros where he
had to witness fights of skill with the special flourish of the cow's tongue machete,
where the main thing was to hit the opponent to the body, not cut, because the
blow had to be edged. . And the one who hit the most was the winner and the
ladies admired the man with said skill the most.

In 2007 we still had the opportunity to appreciate the flourishes of Mr. Juárez, a
traditional Nayarit mariachi musician, a resident of the city of Tepic with residence
on Iturbide Street (no number) and he spoke in the same way as Mr. Daniel
Pulido , coinciding in the flourish of the machete, and using a coat as a shield to
protect himself from the edge blow.