Cozumel Mexico Vacation Guide
Cozumel Mexico and Celebrity Cruise Lines have a meeting of cultures.
Cozumel Mexico is home to Sol de Mi Tierra. This is a local family that has been playing traditional Mariachi music together since they were very young. Although most people think of Jalisco or Guadalajara as the birth place of the Mariachi music; I've heard many excellent bands right here on Cozumel for many years. The passion and excitement that they generate is universal and crosses cultural barriers and borders. Most recently in February of 2010 Sol de Mi Tierra performed for guests of Casa Colonial vacation villas. We had the opportunity of filming them for the first time. The very next month, by sheer coincidence, we were contacted by Celebrity Cruise Lines asking if we knew of a local Mariachi band that could perform on one of their ships; the Century. It was due to dock on April 10th 2010. This was the first time that any cruise lines ever made this request, so just for fun I directed them to the web site that had the video entertaining guests. Celebrity immediately responded and asked if we could handle the logistics to get them to play their music on board the main stage as passengers were returning to the ship from their day on Cozumel Mexico. I soon realized that there was a lot of red tape involved with port security, ship security, immigrations and a host of other logistics; but we did manage to make all of the deadlines. Not only did they perform on April 10th, but they were asked to come back and perform 3 more shows! With all of the bad press from the northern states and the current misinformation that has been circulating on the major news networks; I thought I would help to show that Mexicans can cross borders (legally) and wonderful things can happen! Cozumel has not gotten much press because good news just doesn't sell!  Well, below you will see a video that was taken during their April 24th, 2010 performance.  There will be two more engagements in May and then its on to another cruise route. But upon Celebrity's return to Cozumel in the fall, Sol de Mi Tierra are currently scheduled to start their stylized performances once again. This is a classic example of why people from all over the world love the wonderful magic of Mexico and its beautiful culture as well as the beautiful inhabitants of our paradise island. Simply press on the play button on the video below and enjoy the sights and sounds of this most special event; the meeting of two cultures. I hope that you will enjoy watching this video as much as I enjoyed making it. The island of Cozumel Mexico looks forward to your next visit! Warm Regards, Bob Rodriguez Cozumel mexico.net (your complete vacation guide)

Although the origins of Mariachi music go back hundreds of years, in the form we know it the Mariachi began in the nineteenth century in the Mexican state of Jalisco - according to popular legend, in the town of Cocula. The Mariachi was the distinctive version of the Spanish theatrical orchestra of violins, harp and guitars which developed in and around Jalisco. In other areas such as Veracruz and the Huasteca region in the northeast, the ensemble evolved differently. By the end of the nineteenth century, in Cocula the vihuela, two violins, and the guitarró n (which had replaced the harp) were the instruments of the Mariachi.

Sones from other regions include the son jarocho or veracruzano, from the region around the Gulf port of Veracruz; and the son huasteco, from northeastern Mexico. The most famous example of the son jarocho is La Bamba . A typical son huasteco, also known as the huapango, is La Malagueñ a. It is interesting to note that there are some sones, such as El Gusto, which are common in all three regions and clearly date back to a common ancestor.