Through the influence of African American culture in the United States and African culture in Mexico, son jarocho and zoot suit cultures were able to establish tight-knit communities that strengthened and protected the foundations of their individual identities.
Son jarocho music was created in the port cities of Veracruz, Mexico. Slave trade boats brought many African slaves to Veracruz, and its port cities along the coast. The slaves brought their music with them to Mexico, and as a result of the large presence of African slaves it was introduced to the Mexican people in Veracruz. African music combined with the traditional Mexican music, creating the unique sound of son jarocho music.
Micaela Díaz-Sánchez and Alexandro D. Hernández explain in “The Son Jarocho as Afro-Mexican Resistance Music” that “the histories of African-descended populations remained alive in embodied cultural practices, specifically regional music and dance forms…among the most prominent of these living traditions is son jarocho from Veracruz” (Díaz-Sánchez and Hernández 191).The fandangos of son jarocho brought the community together to create music as a whole, emphasizing the value of community.
The culture surrounding zoot suits emerged in the 1940s in cities across the United States, primarily in Los Angeles. The zoot subculture of the 1940s challenged racial, social, and gender norms of the time. While the zoot suit itself was not a political statement, it became one in the social context in which it was worn. The zoot suit represented upwards mobility for the working class, underscoring the instability of class and race, ensuring that the Mexican American youth of the zoot subculture would be seen and their individuality would be recognized in a period of collective austerity in the United States. Challenged not only by Anglo-Americans but also by middle-class Mexican Americans, the pachucos and pachucas refused to stay quiet and hidden, claiming their right to collective goods and redefining US citizenship. Separating itself from the identity of older generations of Mexican Americans, the zoot subculture created a unique ideological community among young Mexican Americans that did not necessarily belong with Anglo Americans, but also did not align their identity with that of older Mexican Americans.
The music of son jarocho, with its African and Caribbean influences, utilizes traditional instruments and engages with the audience, not just with the members on stage. One of the fundamental aspects of son jarocho is the zapateado, a type of step dance adapted from the traditional African foot dances that use movement as an alternative to drumming, which was banned by the authorities. The dance aspect of the son jarocho is also a defining characteristic of the tradition. The "zapateado" footwork is not simply a dis-associated part of the son jarocho, but an element of the tradition which provides a rhythmic complement to the instrumental and vocal accompaniment. The traditional setting of the son jarocho, the Fandango, is at the center of social reunions throughout southern Veracruz. As local musicians perform the songs, people dance atop a large wooden platform known as a tarima. In addition, son jarocho instruments demonstrate the ingenuity of jarocho musicians. One of the most easily distinguishable instruments is the quijada, a percussion instrument made from the dried jawbone of a donkey or horse. The music of the zoot subculture drew much inspiration from the culture of African Americans in Harlem, and adopted jazz music to create Big Band swing. Big Band swing, a derivative of the earlier Big Band jazz of Afro-Cuban origin, captured the nation. This style of music became popular as a result of its catchy dance tunes, uninhibited sound and wildly arranged solos by both leaders and sidemen. Big Band swing and zoot suit attire was first popularized on stage by Cab Calloway, a singer, songwriter and bandleader. Actor, singer and comedian Germán Valdés, known popularly as Tin-Tan, contributed to the popularity of zoot suit attire by introducing Mexican audiences to Pachuco swing and Caló. Lalo Guerrero is the genius behind much of the upbeat 1940s Chicano Big Band music. Acclaimed as the Father of Chicano Music, his work covered the spectrum of Latino music producing a variety of different sounds including swing, boleros, corridos and salsa. He was one of the first Chicano composers to write music about the Chicano movement and Chicano life, including songs about César Chávez and migrant farm workers. Lalo Guerrero is considered to be one of the most influential and important Chicano musicians of the twentieth century.
Originating in Veracruz, son jarocho has often been forgotten in other parts of Mexico. Not as flamboyant as the mariachi music of northern Mexico, traditionally son jarocho was only seen along Mexico’s eastern coast in Veracruz and surrounding areas. There was an important generational difference in Mexican Americans' perceptions of the pachuco and zoot subculture. Some Mexicans and Mexican Americans of older generations disparaged pachucos and the zoot subculture. Yet, beginning in the late 1960s, many Chicano writers and artists began to point to the zoot subculture of the early 1940s and, more specifically, to the Sleepy Lagoon incident of 1942 and the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 as crucial moments in the politicization of Mexican Americans and in the creation of an oppositional, rather than assimilationist, Chicano cultural identity. Furthermore, some valorized the pachuco as a hero, as the embodiment of Chicano resistance and style, and as a harbinger of the Chicano movement.
For young people in Veracruz today, son jarocho is stylish and in fashion. They provide a counter-narrative to the idea that homogenizing power of globalization always wins over local customs. Son jarocho's rebirth started with the jaranero movement of the late 1970s, when several young anthropologists and university students decided to take action to revitalize son jarocho music. They made recordings of old musicians, started revivalist jarocho bands like Son de Madera and Mono Blanco, and began to organize free workshops to teach the music to young people. The workshops spread through the towns of Veracruz, training an entire generation of jaraneros. The jaranero movement quickly progressed to the United States, and major scenes have since grown in Chicano communities in places like California and Chicago. Whle playing traditional music, groups in the United States modernize the lyrics to connect with a new generation of listeners. One of the most well-known son jarocho bands today, Las Cafeteras, rewrote the traditional song “La Bamba,” adapting its lyrics to relate to younger generations in the United States in “La Bamba Rebelde.” In subsequent decades, especially during the height of the black liberation and Chicano pride movements, those seeking to express resistance and independence have adopted the zoot suit. Even overseas, the zoot suit has been utilized as a form of dissent. In the Soviet Union and Poland, young men wore zoot suits to protest communism, though Kathy Peiss from the University of Pennsylvania says, "It's important not to see them as full-fledged political dissenters for the most part," she says. "But these young men adopted American styles as a subtle statement of opposition."