AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

Marimba Music at Calle del Arco in Antigua ~ 2007-08-22

Posted in Cultural, Music, Streets by Rudy Girón at 9:11 am.
16 comments

Marimba Playing in Calle del Arco

The marimba (pronunciation) has to be Guatemala’s most popular musical instrument. It is found in every single town’s fair, party and cultural event (almost). La Marimba, as it’s known in Spanish, is a type of xylophone with various origins. Guatemala claims to be THE origin of the marimba and, I believe, it is Guatemala’s National Music Instrument. For sure, Guatemala was indeed one of the origins of this particular percussion instrument and its sound.

Marimba music is so deeply rooted into the Guatemalan psyche that even the few of us that do not like it, recognize it and feel it; especially if we are abroad, as far as Kinshasa, Congo or in the good old U.S.A. For sure, you can hear marimba music on Calle del Arco on the weekends in La Antigua Guatemala.

For those chapines living abroad and for those who do not know what marimba music sounds like, I leave you with two samples of Guatemalan marimba music below. Dancing with the person nearest to you is allowed and encouraged. You can also check out a video clip of the marimba band playing at La Fonda de la Calle Real on the weekend in La Antigua Guatemala thanks to Xeni Jardin.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Facebook
  • TwitThis
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Mixx
  • Netvibes
  • NewsVine
  • Sphinn
  • Tumblr
  • MySpace
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Print this article!

rss updates icon Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed or email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing on AntiguaDailyPhoto.com Thanks for visiting!

Related pages:

  1. Live Marimba music at Calle del Arco Live mari
  2. Marimba Chicken Bus and Church of San Pedro Well, well
  3. Watching the pedestrians on Calle del Arco Balconies
  4. The height scale on Calle del Arco Here is a
  5. Guard at Calle del Arco Even thou

16 Responses »



Sponsored by

  1. Pamela responds:

    Hey, guess what Rudy? … Finally something you didn’t copy and won’t find in Tenerife! :)

    It’s a pleasant enough sound (though I won’t be rushing out to buy their greatest hits) and, I can see why it’s popular. Live in situ it really must be an integral part of the atmosphere.

    Response - August 22, 2007 : 11:00 am

  2. Lessie responds:

    Happy photo — love that it’s young people playing such a traditional and cultural instrument.

    Response - August 22, 2007 : 12:09 pm

  3. Pirata Cojo responds:

    Muy bonito Rudy, gracias

    Response - August 22, 2007 : 3:47 pm

  4. Javier responds:

    It brought me into tears. Thanx Rudy. My abuelito used to play this when I was a kid.

    Response - August 22, 2007 : 4:11 pm

  5. Jerry T responds:

    Cool photo shot. We got ice cream at this shop in the background 2 times on our last visit. YUM. I enjoyed the marimba music everywhere we went, but like most folks, would not like a steady diet of it.

    Response - August 22, 2007 : 6:08 pm

  6. Coltrane_lives responds:

    Love this photo. Music is powerful medicine (if somewhat temporary) to the tragedies of the world…even if it is the marimba!

    Response - August 22, 2007 : 6:27 pm

  7. ale responds:

    If Guate isn’t the origin of marimba, at least it was there where it acquired this level of complexity. I have seen marimbas in Africa but they aren’t as big and are usually played only by one person. Marimba music brings up many happy memories.

    Response - August 23, 2007 : 1:32 am

  8. the other scott responds:

    We had the good fortune to catch Las Alas Chapinas near Washington, DC, at last September’s Guatemalan Independence Day festival. Incredible to have flown those massive old wooden instruments all that way…they sounded great and had the crowd on their feet. Thanks for the post.

    Response - August 23, 2007 : 9:55 am

  9. Ale Monroy responds:

    Me hicieron llorar recordando a mi Bella Guate… que buena pagina…

    Response - August 23, 2007 : 12:45 pm

  10. Herbasio responds:

    Being out of Guatemala, that instrument sounds different! I didn’t realize how deep inside my soul this kind of music was until now.

    Response - August 23, 2007 : 1:21 pm

  11. Gerald responds:

    looks something like a xylophone

    Response - August 24, 2007 : 9:33 am

  12. Marimba Chicken Bus and Church of San Pedro | La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo responds:

    [...] this is too much! Come on, who came up with the bright idea of mixing the chicken bus and the marimba orquesta. If hell existed, this would be [...]

    Pingback - November 26, 2007 : 12:23 am

  13. Traditional Guatemalan Musical Instruments | La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo responds:

    [...] seeds and other objects), tortuga (turtle shell), shellfish shell, drum, sonajas (rattles) and the omnipresent marimba (which you saw [...]

    Pingback - May 3, 2008 : 2:55 pm

  14. Mi primera portada de un libro | Apuntes efímeros responds:

    [...] La fotografía de unos jóvenes tocando la marimba en la Calle del Arco en La Antigua Guatemala se convirtió en mi primera portada de un libro. El grupo Macmillan Castillo de México me contacto, en febrero del presente año, para comprar los derechos de uso de la fotografía para utilizarla como portada del libro de texto de nivel secundaria «Música 3». La fotografía apareció inicialmente en el sitio La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo el 22 de agosto, 2007. [...]

    Pingback - June 7, 2008 : 2:16 pm

  15. Sam responds:

    Te agradezco que de las dos piezas musicales hayas escogido Luna de Xelaju. Yo soy puro chivo, y el haber encontrado musica de mi tierra me trae muy gratos recuerdos. Gracias vos!

    Orale pues!

    Response - June 27, 2008 : 10:34 am

  16. sandra garcia responds:

    Me hicieron recordar a mi bella Guatemala. Los felicito porque tocan los intrumentos muy bien que Dios los Bendiga.

    Response - March 25, 2009 : 8:58 am

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a response

« Coffee Table in La Antigua Guatemala
Wanted: New Mayor for La Antigua Guatemala »