Life at Mariachi Plaza: What is Perceived as Authentic?
Many musicians immigrating from Mexico came to Los Angeles to find work as a hired musician to support themselves and their family. As Damian and Andrea explored the surroundings of Mariachi Plaza, they discovered how mariachi men nowadays try and gain work by waiting for people to come and hire them.
Here is a quick video of how Mariachi Plaza looks on a Tuesday afternoon around 12 PM.
In the distance you can see a group of men sitting down together conversing in Spanish. Many of these men are working mariachi musicians, waiting for work to come in. One musician told us that this is the only way of income he has to support his family back in Mexico.
"I don't live in Los Angeles. I just come here for a couple weeks to earn some money and then go back home to Jalisco."
Mariachi music advertises grassroots music to customers coming to visit the plaza and the stores around it. The city of Boyle Heights has a long history with Hispanic culture. Just recently in 2007, the City of Los Angeles adopted the Boyle Hotel-Cummings Block (Mariachi Plaza) as a Historical Cultural Landmark. How wonderful is it that a culture such as the mariachi culture can be honored by a grand city as Los Angeles? This music has integrated into the lives of locals, visitors, and artists coming to Boyle Heights. But is this integration of the mariachi genre only limited to a certain type of people?
Here is a video that captures the social life of Mariachi Plaza.
A question we asked a mariachi is what he thinks about potential customers or visitors who come to visit the plaza.
"We don't see many people other than Hispanics and Latinos coming around here. Maybe once or twice we would get Caucasians or Asian-Americans, but for the most part it's just relatives or people who are native to this culture."
How is it that a genre of music such as mariachi music can be limited to a single group of people in a very diverse city? Are there people other than Hispanics who are enjoying and performing mariachi and breaking down the barriers? Would mariachi music be considered un-authentic if other cultures indulge in performing this according to their own culture?
Again, this group's goal is to see the interaction between those living and performing in Mariachi Plaza with other groups of people and how they integrate their lifestyle to other cultures.
Here is a quick video of how Mariachi Plaza looks on a Tuesday afternoon around 12 PM.
In the distance you can see a group of men sitting down together conversing in Spanish. Many of these men are working mariachi musicians, waiting for work to come in. One musician told us that this is the only way of income he has to support his family back in Mexico.
"I don't live in Los Angeles. I just come here for a couple weeks to earn some money and then go back home to Jalisco."
Mariachi music advertises grassroots music to customers coming to visit the plaza and the stores around it. The city of Boyle Heights has a long history with Hispanic culture. Just recently in 2007, the City of Los Angeles adopted the Boyle Hotel-Cummings Block (Mariachi Plaza) as a Historical Cultural Landmark. How wonderful is it that a culture such as the mariachi culture can be honored by a grand city as Los Angeles? This music has integrated into the lives of locals, visitors, and artists coming to Boyle Heights. But is this integration of the mariachi genre only limited to a certain type of people?
Here is a video that captures the social life of Mariachi Plaza.
A question we asked a mariachi is what he thinks about potential customers or visitors who come to visit the plaza.
"We don't see many people other than Hispanics and Latinos coming around here. Maybe once or twice we would get Caucasians or Asian-Americans, but for the most part it's just relatives or people who are native to this culture."
How is it that a genre of music such as mariachi music can be limited to a single group of people in a very diverse city? Are there people other than Hispanics who are enjoying and performing mariachi and breaking down the barriers? Would mariachi music be considered un-authentic if other cultures indulge in performing this according to their own culture?
Again, this group's goal is to see the interaction between those living and performing in Mariachi Plaza with other groups of people and how they integrate their lifestyle to other cultures.
| Previous page on path | Mariachi Plaza: The Goal, page 7 of 10 | Next page on path |
Discussion of "Life at Mariachi Plaza: What is Perceived as Authentic?"
Add your voice to this discussion.
Checking your signed in status ...