Five things the world gave to

Mexico is a country proud of its culture, traditions and festivities. However, there are elements from Mexican culture that have its origin or influence from beyond our borders. Do you want to know which of them are?

Mariachi- Mariachi music itself is 100% Mexican. However, it traditional attire and its presence in weddings have a clear French influence. History tells us that its name comes from the French mariage; due to a request from a French couple in Mexico to have classically-trained musicians at their ceremony. Since classical performers were nowhere to be found, they opted for Mexican traditional musicians, specialized in a genre called Son; with their guitars and trumpets. They were given for the special occasion their now famous outfit, with a clear French fashion influence from the last part of the XIX century.

Tacos al pastor- We love them as well! However, Mexico’s most famous are an adaptation from the Middle Eastern , döner or . Christian Lebanese and Syrian immigrants from the early 20th century, noticing how difficult it was to get lamb in Mexico, decided to use meat instead; and substituted bread for corn –and later flour- tortillas.

Norteño music – A really popular genre in Mexico, going beyond its regional borders. Its origin comes from Central European workers (Czechs, Poles and Germans) who arrived to Northeastern Mexico – in particular to the states of Coahuila and Nuevo León- to work in the nascent beer and steel companies throughout the region at the end of the 19th century. They brought along the accordion, key instrument from their traditional polka that became essential for Norteño music as well. Guitar and bass were added later until it evolved to its current sound.

Mexican Muralism- Mexico’s paramount contribution to world art has its origin from murals found in Mayan and Aztec temples. However, the impulse to revive such tradition and to generate from itself an artistic trend, comes from the influence of André Breton and the surrealistic movement in Paris. It was Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros who joined the movement when in France. When they returned to Mexico, the combination of surrealism and socialism became a natural result; generating an urge of making art more democratic. It was then when walls became canvases, decorated with quite a distinctive style.

Lucha libre- If we trace the roots of this show, it is obvious we will find them in traditional Olympic wrestling. Nevertheless, its transformation into a business show come thanks to Salvador Lutteroth, German-Mexican that decided, after attending several travelling circuses in the United States and seeing how they had wrestlers among their acts, to take it and form a company dedicated exclusively to the promotion of this sport/show. He also discovered a certain wrestler known as El Santo and promoted the use colorful masks as part of a marketing strategy. The rest is history.