yerba mate

Pronounced yerba mahtay, this South American drink is very popular in Argentina and similar to tea. However, what makes Yerba Mate so unique is not only its flavor but is beneficial ingredients as well. In fact, this particular drink is so popular that in Buenos Aires and other cities in Argentina, people carry it around with them all day long, sipping as they go through their normal day, much as Americans would sip on soda.

This "tea" is a natural stimulant that produces zero side effects and toxicity levels. As a natural source of nutrition, Yerba Mate also promotes good health. This drink was first introduced from colonists where it was used by the ancient Guarani Indians of Paraguay and Argentina. Today, Yerba Mate is popular around the world and for good reason, as you will soon discover.

Said to boost immunity, heal the nervous system, detoxify the blood, slow down aging, restore healthy hair, fight fatigue, decrease the appetite, reduce stress, combat insomnia, and a number of other benefits, you can see why it is such a popular drink. The "mate" part of the drink is actually a member of evergreen that falls within the holly family.

Grown wild in South America, it is very aromatic with a slight bitter taste. Interesting, when grown in the wild, it takes about 25 years for the plant to develop to maturity. In the late fall and early winter months, the plant will actually produce beautiful flowers. Just as with any other type of tea, Yerba Mate is typically brewed as a cold or hot drink, using tea bags or loose, dried tea.

The traditional cup used to drink Yerba Mate is called Mate, which when originally made was a dried and decorated gourde. To prepare Yerba Mate, dried minced leaves are placed into the Mate or cup, adding hot water. Then, the fusion is sucked up through a metal or wood pipe called a Bombilla, which is designed with a strainer on the end to prevent the small pieces of tea from going into the mouth.

Some people prefer to add milk and/or sugar, or other herbs such as mint to enhance the flavor. In this case, you would use hot milk in place of the hot water. Although at first the taste is foreign, there is something about it that makes you want to go back for more. Then when you realize your body is energized, your mind is stimulated, you begin to lose weight, sickness starts to fade, and you feel better overall, you really become hooked on Yerba Mate. With its powerful stimulant effects and loaded with minerals and vitamins, people in Argentina and other parts of South America love it, and so will you.

Music of Mexico

The music of Mexico is extraordinarily diverse and features a wide range of different musical styles. The most well-known Mexican genre by far is mariachi, a style of traditional Mexican son which is considered old-fashioned but respected traditional music and is usually listened to as modern music. Mexican ranchera (country music) styles, including norteño and banda, are not only popular within Mexico itself, but Mexican immigrants in both rural and urban American communities also frequently enjoy them. Norteño, similar to Tejano music and Tex-Mex, arose in the 1930s and 40s in the Rio Grande border region of southern Texas. Influenced by Bohemian immigrant miners, its rhythm was derived from the European polka dance popular during the 1800s. Banda, similar to norteño in musical form, originated from the Mexico state of Sinaloa during the 1960s. Other new styles such as cumbia, pop, and rock have seen increased popularity as the music of Mexico faces a new generation of young people.

Southern Mexican folk music is centered around the marimba, which remains popular in Chiapas and Oaxaca. In Yucatán the traditional Jarana music and dance is popular.

Modern Mexican musical styles are also changing Mexican music. Cumbia, pop, hip-hop, and rock, which are heavily influenced by music from the Caribbean islands and the United States, is increasingly becoming popular among Mexican youths on both sides of the border.

Mexican son

In the 1940s, Mexican music began its rise to international fame, just as Cuban music was topping charts across the globe. Since then, Mexico has absorbed influences from across Latin America, most especially include Colombian cumbia, which is now as much or more known as a Mexican trend than a Colombian one.

Mexican pop music derives from a mixture of Spanish, African and Aztec or other indigenous sources. Related to Cuban son montuno and Venezuelan joropo, Mexican son arose in the 18th century. It is similar to, but historically and characteristically distinct from, Cuban son montuno, despite the similarity in nomenclature. Nine or ten styles of Mexican son have been popular, including mariachi. Mexican son has been rural for most of its history, and requires audience participation for zapateado, or foot-stamping done in a counter-rhythm. Most bands use string instruments and improvised lyrics.

Mariachi

As the most well known regional musicians of Mexico, mariachi bands became common in Jalisco around the beginning of the 20th century, originally playing at weddings. The earliest known appearance of this term in reference to music is from 1852. It is said that General Porfirio Díaz, in 1907, ordered a mariachi band to play for the United States Secretary of State, only if they wore charro suits, which were worn by the poor musicians' bosses. This is the source of traditional dress for mariachi bands, and is considered the beginning of modern mariachi. By the turn of the century, mariachi was popular across Mexico. Rural subgenres have largely died out, and urban mariachi from Mexico City has dominated the field since the 1930s. It became known as the national music of Mexico after the 1910 Mexican Revolution, and was subsidized during the term of Lázaro Cárdenas. Cornets were added to mariachi in the 1920s; trumpets replaced them ten years later.

Mexican immigrants in the United States made Los Angeles the mariachi capital of the USA by 1961. Mexican music was popularized in the United States in the late 1970s as part of a revival of mariachi music led by performers like Linda Ronstadt. One of the most well known examples of Mexican music (at least in the United States) is "La Cucaracha" and the Mexican Hat Dance ("El jarabe tapatío").

The golden age of mariachi was in the 1950s, when the ranchera style was common in American movies. Mariachi Vargas played for many of these soundtracks, and the long-lived band's long career and popular acclaim has made it one of the best-known mariachi bands.

Jaliscenses

Jalisco's folk music (jaliscienses) is the source of the internationally-revered mariachi genre, after it was popularized by Mexican cinema.

Jarochos

Jarochos music comes from the Veracruz area, and is distinguished by a strong African influence. International acclaim has been limited, including the major hit "La Bamba". The most legendary performer is Graciana Silva, whose Discos Corason releases made inroads in Europe. Southern Veracruz is home to a distinct style of Jarochos that is characteristically lacking a harp, is played exclusively by requinto or jarana guitars, and is exemplified by the popular modern band Mono Blanco.

Arribeño

Sierra Gorda's villages are home to trovadores who play arribeño music. Known for lyrical innovation, the genre is competitive in nature, and is accompanied by guitars and violins. Guillermo Velázquez is the best-known exponent of arribeño.

Calentanos

Melodically complex violin music from the Balsas River Basin of western Mexico. Juan Reynoso is especially popular, and has won the National Prize for Arts and Sciences.

Arpa grande

Sones de arpa grande developed in an arid, hot area of western Mexico. A harp, accompanied by violins and guitars, dominates it. Originally confined to poor rural areas and urban brothels, sones de arpa grande is now popular among the suburban and urban middle- and upper class audiences. Juan Pérez Morfín and Beto Pineda are the most well known performers.

Abajeños and istmeños

Indigenous communities have produced their own variants of Mexican son, which is otherwise a primarily mestizo genre. The Purépecha (from Michoacán) are known for the sones abajeños, which are often played alongside pirekaus, a form of native love song. Famous bands include Atardecer and Erandi.

The Zapotecs of Oaxaca have produced some extremely famous love songs, and the people's sones istmeños, which are sung in both Zapotec and Spanish. The music has been popularized, primarily by pop stars from outside the area, including Lila Downs.

Son huasteco

Son huasteco music, a style developed by Mexico's Huastec people, is a genre which has been gaining in popularity in recent years. Two guitarists sing in a falsetto with accompaniment by a violin. Improvisation is common. Los Camperos de Valle and Trio Tamazunchale are especially influential performers.

Mexican ranchera

The first major international trend from Mexico was the popularization of ranchera, which had developed early in the 20th century out of mariachi, and became popular in Latin America after being used in several films. Thus, a new traditional Mexican ranchera (country music) style came out. Norteño and banda are popular bands that play mainly rancheras and corridos. Most first-generation Mexicans prefer norteño and banda, while the younger generation are more oriented toward cumbia and Mexican hip-hop. Many Mexican radio stations in the United States are devoted to playing mainly norteño and banda, such as the radio station "97.9 en East Los Angeles - el número uno en bandas y norteñas!"

Norteño

Norteño music (similar to Tex-Mex and Tejano in the United States) almost always has the accordion as the lead instrument, with guitars serving as its roos. Norteño is an outgrowth of corridos, which told tales of the Mexican Revolution. In the late 1920s, the corridos entered a golden age when Mexicans on both sides of the border recorded in San Antonio-area hotels, revolutionizing the genre alongside Mexico's political revolution. By the time the golden age ended, Narciso Martínez and Santiago Jimenez had introduced the accordion, which had been introduced by Bohemian miners who immigrated to the country in the late 19th century. Alongside the accordion came the polka, which, alongside waltzes, chotis and mazurka, mixed with corridos to form modern norteño in the early 1950s. Although norteño originated in the American state of Texas, it is popular among Mexican Americans from virtually any region of the United States. Later in the century, bands such as Los Tigres del Norte and Los Cadetes de Linares added influences from cumbia, rock music, and other new styles, thus creating a unique new blend in some of their new songs.

Banda

Banda music, or Mexican big band music, originated in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. In the 1990s, banda exploded in popularity among Hispanics in both the United States and Mexico. Originally instrumental, this style was popularized by Banda el Recodo, Julio Preciado, and other major stars who started including lyrics and converting popular songs into this genre.