Son Jarocho and La Bamba

Son jarocho is the traditional music of Veracruz. It is played on the arpa jarocha, a wooden harp of 32 to 36 strings that is its emblematic instrument, together with the jarana and the requinto jarocho. Don’t confuse it with the instruments of Jalisco’s mariachi, such as the guitarrón and the vihuela.

The most famous son jarocho is “La Bamba”, the most important song and dance of Veracruz. At weddings and fandangos couples dance it with rapid footwork and, by tradition, tie a ribbon into a bow using only their feet. It became known worldwide through Ritchie Valens’s 1958 version.