African Influence in the Music of Mexico’s Costa Chica Region

Abstract

While European and Amerindian contributions to Mexican folk music traditions have been thoroughly acknowledged, the African influence has not been as widely publicized. However, ample evidence of African influence on folk music in Mexico exists, especially in the densely black- populated pueblos within the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca in the Costa Chica region. Instruments such as the marímbola (finger piano), quijada (jawbone), and tambor de fricción (friction drum) specifically point toward African influence in the folk music of Costa Chica. The main objective of this paper is to identify the African influence on the folk music in the region. By tracing the roots of certain instruments and folksongs that use these specific African instruments, this study seeks to address the underrepresentation of African influence in the Costa Chica region.