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Norteño, Mariachi, and Banda groups hire out at T.J. cemeteries
Death always comes with music
A group of musicians on Dia de los Muertos can earn around $1500.
Like any other border city in Mexico, Tijuana is in a constant duality of identity, and this time of the year, it becomes easy to notice. On one hand, it is Halloween, and on the other, Dia de los Muertos. Despite the strong U.S. influence the city has, the latter is still a living tradition. Part of it is the celebration of death, which always comes with music.
Norteño, Mariachi, and Banda are the most popular folkloric Mexican genres, and as a part of the tradition, people hire musicians to play at graveyards. Such as Yahaira Lopez has done with her family every year. She and most family live in San Diego, but her mother and brother are buried here in Santa Gema cemetery in Tijuana.
"We even try to leave flowers on those abandoned graves."
"We've been doing this since children with my mom when visiting our grandmother's grave. I remember we have always taken it as a celebration.... My nephew, though, couldn't make it here this time because he lives in L.A., but when we were video-calling he heard the musicians playing next to us and right away told me to hire them.
Most of these musicians are like José Muñoz, who has been a guitarist for more than 45 years. Life itself got him into the music when moving to Tijuana after working for years manufacturing textiles at a factory in his home state of Sonora.
Cemeteries with security staff have now been charging musicians a fee to get inside.
“I worked for 30 years straight in this factory but when I got to learn music and play the guitar in 1978; this became my way to make a living. Even though I couldn't hear on one side I kept playing to make a living from it. I am 80 years old and still can play for three or four hours as we do here at the cemetery or the funerals.”
A group of musicians on Dia de los Muertos can earn around $1500 USD. Since Jose works with two partners, that money is equal for each of them to a month's pay on an average job in Tijuana. Yadira and her family spent that cash only for music that evening, along with food and drinks they brought to celebrate.
"I am 80 years old and still can play for three or four hours."
“They played 26 songs for us, they knew all the songs our parents used to sing for us when we were children. There's this song my nephew asked for two times in a row because we all knew the lyrics, it was a feeling that we were all getting bonded together through that song,” Yahdira said. “This time not all could make it; usually we cook carne asada, bring chairs, and spend most of the day here. We even try to leave flowers on those abandoned graves and clean up as many of them as we can.”
Although the entrance to graveyards that day is open for the public some of the ones with security staff have been charging musicians a fee to get inside; this is something new. José said it is starting to be a headache for them because they have to find cemeteries out of the area. Those cemeteries with better cash flow are in those neighborhoods right next to the border.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Norteño, Mariachi, and Banda groups hire out at T.J. cemeteries
Death always comes with music
Norteño, Mariachi, and Banda groups hire out at T.J. cemeteries
Death always comes with music
A group of musicians on Dia de los Muertos can earn around $1500.
Like any other border city in Mexico, Tijuana is in a constant duality of identity, and this time of the year, it becomes easy to notice. On one hand, it is Halloween, and on the other, Dia de los Muertos. Despite the strong U.S. influence the city has, the latter is still a living tradition. Part of it is the celebration of death, which always comes with music.
Norteño, Mariachi, and Banda are the most popular folkloric Mexican genres, and as a part of the tradition, people hire musicians to play at graveyards. Such as Yahaira Lopez has done with her family every year. She and most family live in San Diego, but her mother and brother are buried here in Santa Gema cemetery in Tijuana.
"We even try to leave flowers on those abandoned graves."
"We've been doing this since children with my mom when visiting our grandmother's grave. I remember we have always taken it as a celebration.... My nephew, though, couldn't make it here this time because he lives in L.A., but when we were video-calling he heard the musicians playing next to us and right away told me to hire them.
Most of these musicians are like José Muñoz, who has been a guitarist for more than 45 years. Life itself got him into the music when moving to Tijuana after working for years manufacturing textiles at a factory in his home state of Sonora.
Cemeteries with security staff have now been charging musicians a fee to get inside.
“I worked for 30 years straight in this factory but when I got to learn music and play the guitar in 1978; this became my way to make a living. Even though I couldn't hear on one side I kept playing to make a living from it. I am 80 years old and still can play for three or four hours as we do here at the cemetery or the funerals.”
A group of musicians on Dia de los Muertos can earn around $1500 USD. Since Jose works with two partners, that money is equal for each of them to a month's pay on an average job in Tijuana. Yadira and her family spent that cash only for music that evening, along with food and drinks they brought to celebrate.
"I am 80 years old and still can play for three or four hours."
“They played 26 songs for us, they knew all the songs our parents used to sing for us when we were children. There's this song my nephew asked for two times in a row because we all knew the lyrics, it was a feeling that we were all getting bonded together through that song,” Yahdira said. “This time not all could make it; usually we cook carne asada, bring chairs, and spend most of the day here. We even try to leave flowers on those abandoned graves and clean up as many of them as we can.”
Although the entrance to graveyards that day is open for the public some of the ones with security staff have been charging musicians a fee to get inside; this is something new. José said it is starting to be a headache for them because they have to find cemeteries out of the area. Those cemeteries with better cash flow are in those neighborhoods right next to the border.
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