Conversation with Tlacuatzin Son Huasteco Huapango Music from Mexico

Tlacuatzin Son Huasteco is a trio playing the traditional music of Northeastern Mexico, known as Son Huasteco or Huapango music. Son Huasteco music is built around two small guitars, the jarana and the quinta, as well as the violin and the voice. Son Huasteco singing employs a distinctive falsetto style. Improvisation plays a strong role in this music, with each group adding their own lyrics and arrangements to a standard repertoire of songs. The result is acoustic string-band music that is both traditional and contemporary, with direct emotional appeal. Tlacuatzin Son Huasteco uses their music to showcase the festive spirit of the people, the essence of the countryside. Drawing on the teachings of traditional master musicians and the energy of newer generations, the band has won the hearts of audiences in Europe and North America, at national and international festivals, and at public squares and community gatherings in rural Mexico. They carry with them the traditions of Son Huasteco music, of Carnival and of the Xantolo or "Day of the Dead.” Named after the indigenous word for a small opossum native to their region of Mexico, Tlacuatzin espouses traditional Mexican values, including love for the land, multiculturalism, and respect for the diversity of human beings. For more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-10512