Paracho de Verduzco (often called Paracho) is a small city located in
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. It is located about west of the state capital
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi language, Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both th ...
. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of Paracho. It has a population of 37,464.
Paracho is well known throughout both Mexico and elsewhere in the world as a hub of
lutherie
A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments.
Etymology
The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...
. This is because the town's craftsmen are reputed to make the best sounding
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
s and
vihuela
The vihuela () is a 15th-century fretted plucked Spanish string instrument, shaped like a guitar (figure-of-eight form offering strength and portability) but tuned like a lute. It was used in 15th- and 16th-century Spain as the equivalent of t ...
s in all of Mexico. The town is full of music shops that sell handmade stringed instruments. Some instruments that can be found in Paracho are: ten-string
mandolin
A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
s,
armadillo
Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...
-backed guitars (
concheras
A conchera or concha is Mexican stringed-instrument, plucked by Concheros, concheros dancers. The instruments were important to help preserve elements of native culture from New Spain#Evangelization, Eurocentric-Catholic suppression. The instrume ...
) and mandolins, and acoustic bass guitars, as well as regular classical guitars and mandolins,
bajo sexto
The bajo sexto ( Spanish: "sixth bass") is a Mexican string instrument from the guitar family with 12 strings in six double courses.
It is played in a similar manner to the guitar, with the left hand changing the pitch with the frets on a ...
s, vihuelas,
guitarrones and many others. Many of the stores and workshops allow visitors to watch the guitar-making process directly.
A national festival "Feria de La Guitarra" is held in Paracho once a year, usually the second week of August. Lasting nine days having its culture, gastronomic and traditions display. From its traditional "Pan" to its famous guitars, Paracho is rich in culture and traditions.
History
The city remains renowned for its guitars and luthiers, a tradition dating back over 480 years. When Spanish conquistadors arrived in west-central Mexico, a priest named
Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga (1470/78 – 14 March 1565) was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico, and one of the judges ('' oidores'') in the second Real Audiencia of Mexico – the high court that governed New Spain – from January 10, 1531, to April 1 ...
determined that each indigenous village should learn a craft to foster economic mobility and integration into the Spanish colonial system. Similar systems were established by Quiroga in
Santa Clara, where copper was produced, and in
Uruapan
Uruapan () is the second largest city in the Mexico, Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located at the western edge of the Tarascan Plateau, Purépecha highlands, just to the east of the Tierra Caliente (Mexico), Tierra Caliente region. Since the c ...
, where lacquerware was turned out. The choice to have the remote village of Paracho specialize in stringed instruments was a strategic one from Quiroga, as the area was surrounded by forests of pine; allowing raw material to be abundant and allowing many families to perfect their craft throughout the generations.
Despite the Paracho luthiers honing their craft over generations, the models produced there differ drastically from their European counterparts. Yale anthropologist Ron Fernandez, who imports guitars from Spain, noted this difference, attributing it to the methods of construction, particularly in terms of tools used.
While European methods typically involve a workbench with forms, the Mexican methods remained carving wood while seated, the practices of their indigenous ancestors. For over a century, Paracho luthiers would sometimes deconstruct foreign guitars that arrived in town to enhance their craftsmanship. Eventually in the 1980s, Paracho began hosting master luthiers from Spain to refine their craft, resulting in improved guitar quality. Today, Paracho remains a place where mariachi bands and other groups can purchase good quality accessibly instruments to play throughout Mexico. It also became a popular tourist destination where tourists can buy a factory-made or handmade guitar at very affordable prices.
See also
*
List of guitar manufacturers
References
External links
Award winning 2007 Documentary about the luthiers of Paracho
Populated places in Michoacán
{{Michoacán-geo-stub