Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala

Quetzaltenango, or Xela as the locals call it, is considered the heart of marimba music in Guatemala and for all of Latin America by most Guatemaltecos. It was in this area where a second row of bars, sharps and flats, was first added to the marimba in the late 1800s.

Not realizing how important this city was to the history of the marimba, I chose to attend a language school here the summer of 2006 in an effort to improve my Spanish-speaking skills. I did choose Guatemala in part because the marimba is the national instrument. During my two months in the country I was able to take marimba lessons and work/study in a marimba shop which taught students how to build marimbas in the traditional manner.

After returning home I built a five-octave marimba sencilla–the diatonic folk instrument of Guatemala. In the picture below the dark spots near the bottom of each resonator are rings of beeswax that surround a small hole in each resonator. This hole is covered with the lining of a pig intestine which then buzzes whenever the marimba is played. This is one characteristic of African and Latin American marimbas which has not been retained in the marimbas of North America and classical music in general.

While in Xela I also pursued my interest in indigenous church music with somewhat disappointing results. Most churches seem not to use traditional music. One particularly beautiful example I heard, however, is the following setting of Psalm 23:1-3.

El Señor es Mi Pastor

El Señor es mi Pastor, Nada me faltará,
El Señor es mi Pastor, en pastos delicados Él me hará descansar,
Junto a agua de reposo me pastoreará, confortará me alma,
Me guiará por sendas de justicia por amor de su nombre.