Unesco pays homage to mariachi music
Mariachi music native to Mexico has received international recognition which will go some way towards preserving the well-known songs and styles of the country.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), paid homage to the traditional form of music and said it has become a large part of national identity.
Mexican officials applied to Unesco's intangible cultural patrimony in a bid to get the instrumental music in the public eye. The applicants mentioned that the idea of community and the family is felt by handing down the knowledge of the music. It also keeps the history and the pleasure of singing mariachi alive.
Jorge Aquino, director of the Mexican Music School in Mexico City, told CNNMexico.com last year that the music has evolved over time and has remained popular.
He commented: "Now including in foreign countries like the US, Japan and Colombia, there are mariachi schools, mariachi classes, mariachi degrees."
This year Unesco also added 13 other items to its list, including Chinese shadow puppetry, which dates back over 2,000 years to the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
