GUADALAJARA.-The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) granted Mexican Mariachi the title of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in a ceremony during the XIX International Mariachi Encounter held in Guadalajara, west of Mexico.
In a short service at Guadalajara's main public plaza, eight musician children between the ages of five and ten garbed in full Mariachi attire received the award as a symbol of the future generations keeping alive this tradition, explained the Director of the National Council of Art and Culture of Mexico, Consuelo Sáizar.
"We just ask them to preserve this legacy and its traditions," said the officer to the youngsters.
Thanks to an initiative by the Government of Jalisco, Mariachi music entered the UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity last year on November 27 by a unanimous decision of the expert committee gathered in Bali.
The delivery of this award motivated the creation of a national committee of experts and government officers that will define strategies to protect this music and promote it throughout the world.
An audio library with 140 musical pieces and 50,000 audio tracks of diverse nature dating back to 1910, a library and a Mariachi Academy where also inaugurated.
The state of Jalisco also has a Heritage of Humanity declaration by the UNESCO for its agave fields and the antique Tequila distilleries awarded in 2001.
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Original text : EFE Agency
Translation: Karen.balderas@sandiegored.com
