The origin of the Mexican Son it is glimpsed from principles of the XVII century, when this name is already applied to certain songs and dancing popular, same that previously were known as "letrillas", ballads or coplillas whose intention was almost always picaresque, as its natural predecessor, singing Spanish.
From their beginnings, the one is it was nurtured with some rhythmic and dancing elements of the African music that the black slaves brought to our country during the viceroyalty and this way, combining with the Spanish roots, he/she was practiced with great rejoicing for people of the lowest social stratum in eating-houses and other meeting centers although, of course, that was not very seen by aristocrats and ecclesiastical that considered the interpretation of the sones like immodest and provocative... threatening of the good customs...", and it began to be prohibited, when they participated to treat topics against religious or of the civil authorities, with detriment of the morals and the good customs."
It is illustrative to remember the scandalous case of the called dance of The chuchumb�", toward 1766 that it arrived to Veracruz coming from the islands of the Caribbean causing the immediate denucia before the Santa Inquisition of Mexico. " ...del serious damage that causes in this city, particularly among the waitresses maidens, of a song that has extended for corners and streets of this city that you/they call him chuchumb�, for extremely immodest", ...de that now later have known he/she is practiced among vulgar and seafaring people whose you are they can be scandalous, the Saint Occupation requested a bigger abundance in the information and he received from his Commissary the following letter:... two fellows tell me that the ballads that I remitted are sung while others dance, or either between men and women, that is to say dancing four women with four men; and that the dance is with gestures, tosses, sarandeos, contrary all to the honesty and bad example of those that come it as assistants, to mix in the I paw of tract in tract, hugs, and to give belly with belly; well that they also informed me that this is danced at ordinary homes, of mulattos and people of broken color, not in serious people, neither among circumspect people and this way among soldiers, sailors and trash." It was not made wait the special ban with the prohibition fulminante, however, the chuchumb� and other sones for the style continued being executed in apparent secrecy and prolonging their popularity in other areas of the country until, with the coming of the independence it ceased so severe censorship and the sones they appeared free, ingenious, spontaneous, more and more far from the impudence and they became this way a fundamental gender of the music popular Mexican rooting in the diverse regions and adopting in each a their own identity.
In our days the son it is a generally dancing piece with instrumental accompaniment in which you/they usually listen ballads that refer to the title or the topic that he/she gives them origin.
Their main characteristic resides in that imitates, reflective, it reproduces or it copies the particular features and people's habits and of the animals, as well as it exalts the qualities and attributes of the things. This imitation can be, indistinctly, in the choreographic outlines, in the steps and the dancers' attitudes, sometimes in the instrumental onomatopoeic effects, in the intention of the texts, or in the turns of the voices.
The three main branches have sendos very abundant repertoires among those that, only like sample, they make an appointment these examples:
to) Of people: El Borracho, La Negra,El Telele, El Cojito, El Tirador, Leonarda, Mariquita, Petrona, etc.
b) Of animals: El Cuervo, El Toro, La Guacamaya, El Palomo, La Culebra, La Tortuga, Las Alazanas, etc.
c) Of things: El butaquito, Las Olas, La Metralla, El Cachito, El Tranchete, El Tren, etc.
However, the classification is enlarged almost to the infinite when taking into account the sones that refer to the towns, cities, states and regions, as well as to the vegetables and other several reasons.
It is impossible to classify to the Mexican Son inside a form or musical outline and a widespread style then in them are decisive the idiosyncrasy of the residents in the diverse regions, their roots partner - cultural, the instrumental endowments of their typical groups, the ecological factors that regulate the environment and, for the same thing, the dress and the favorable times for the most important celebrations.
