PRESENTATION

This council has followed an open social welfare policy since the first day of
administation with the commitment to promote unrestricted access to education
and culture for all Tuxtla citizens.
It has also invested -as ever- in the cultural development of Tuxtla Gutierrez and
has opened spaces where creativity and intellectual expression find approprite
forums to all currents of thought.
We know that a society that is ignored may feel aggrieved and reflect the bad
administration of a government. We live in a democratic state of law where
people decide the actions, regarder to culture, authority must follow.
Tuxtla City Council proudly presents Museum of Marimba, a dream from Chiapas
people that finally comes true after many decades. Openning the doors of this
museum respond to the demans of a growing city, urged of cultural spaces and
information not only for current generation but also for future generations .
Historically, marimba has been patrimony of Chiapas. Therefore it was necessary
that such important tradition has a place where it would be shelter and show how
proud we are ...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The social welfare policy has followed this council from day one, has been
permanent, open to all the demands and the commitment to promote access
without restrictions, unrestricted, education and culture for all tuxtlecos.
This administration has invested -as ever- in the cultural development of Tuxtla
Gutierrez and have open spaces where creativity and intellectual expression find
appropriate forums to all currents of thought.
We know that a society that is not treated may feel aggrieved by omission which
invariably result from a bad government. We live in a democratic state of law in

which the sovereignty of the people is the one who raises the actions that must
follow the authority, in this case with regard to culture.
With pride and satisfaction tuxtleco City Council realizes this day a dream that for
decades had Chiapas. By opening the doors of the Museum of the Marimba that
longing not only met, but also responds to the demands of a growing city, urged
spaces of cultural information for current and future generations as well as for our
visitors.
By history, tradition and its own right, the marimba is patrimony of Chiapas.
Therefore it was necessary that in the land of his birth, the marimba count on at
home that will shelter, the care, the pride exalt and centuries of knowing where
creators of the musical instrument that still smells of forest is displayed, our
Chiapas jungle.

PROLOGUE
This guide you have in your hands, dear visitant,
The marimba is an emblematic musical instrument of our culture; it represents
the art and sensitivity Chiapas has given us over the years. The music played on
this instruments has the scent of forest and nostalgy, the scent that we preserve
and share with all the people.
The Honorable City of Tuxtla Gutirrez created this institution committed to the
society... What you
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This guide you, dear reader, have in your hands is the basic document with
which the Marimba Museum of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas was made.

The marimba is a musical instrument emblematic of our culture; represents in

itself, art and sensitivity Chiapas have given us over the years. The music played
on this instrument has scent of jungle and nostalgia that we preserve and share
with all people.
The Honorable City of Tuxtla Gutierrez, created this institution committed to the
best causes of man, what do you get with a commitment to preserve and
disclose our highest cultural values associated with this precious instrument that
Chiapas has given to mankind.

INTRODUCTION
Music is an ancestral form of expression that has been presented in many forms
since the evolution of human being; many evidences prove it even from the
earliest periods of human life.

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------Music, ancestral form of expression, has been presented in various forms of the
evolution of human intelligence; this, there are many evidences even from the
earliest periods of men.
Before civilization already expressed beings from rhythmic percussion that were
forming their cultural identity, founding traditions, customs and habits that have
led to what we now call musical art.
Thus, each people have placed in music, his vision of the universe, of his
religious beliefs, his temperament, his poetry, his personal way of sublimating
existence.

VISION

Consolidating a space that conserve, preserve, disseminate and investigate

about the musical instrument called "marimba" and music played through it;
thereby generating a socio-economic area of benefit to the tourism-business
sector and thus to join the economic and cultural phenomenon known as "El
Parque de la Marimba" in Tuxtla Gutirrez Chiapas.

MISSION

The Museum of the Marimba, encourages, adopts and discloses stimulates

marimba culture documented in his musical and instrumental acquis, and
promotes the artistic attributes that make up our intangible heritage, it represents
and exemplifies the historical evolution of this magnificent cultural entity to
transcend the new own and other generations.

WOOD HORMIGUILLO

Hormiguillo (Platymiscium dymorphandum). Family tree Fabaceae, up to 30

meters high, alternate leaves composed of 11-15 oblong, medium and flat flakes.
Common in tropical deciduous forests and semi-deciduous forests medium. The

wood is hard, heavy and tough, dark brown purple, fine texture and grain found.
It is used in the manufacture of keys for marimba.
Data taken from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Chiapas. Published by the
National Council for Culture and Arts of Chiapas and the University of Science
and Arts of Chiapas. 2000)

ORIGIN OF THE INSTRUMENT

On the origin of the instrument has been dumped many and varied versions have
built myths and legends, have written poems and various literature, journalism
and film made.
It is true that musical instruments have been built in the five continents of wood
that can be percussive. In many cases they have formal and sound similarities.

Marimba, as many percussion instruments has undergone a process of

development to reach its contemporary condition.The marimba maintains many
features of its craft origin and its nature linked to sound.
In the earth's limited strip by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
geographical and climatic conditions that have led to present appropriate timber
to build percutibles build musical instruments; and -in various forms- in different
parts of the world.
In America, before the conquest, were manufactured instruments equipped with
keys that percussed produced a very pleasing sound to the human ear, perhaps
the teponaxtle and Tingo are the oldest precedents to current marimba.
Some researchers claim that during the first years of the colonial era a musical
instrument made of wooden slats was interpreted, under which he had dug a
hole in the ground by way of sounding board, this instrument was called Yolotli.

THE MARIMBA AS AN INSTRUMENT OUR CULTURE

The acoustic instrument marimba that we known today as part of the identity of
the peoples of Mesoamerica and its first mention dates from October 9, 1545.
According to the book "The origin of the marimba" (published by Professor
Amador Hernandez in 1975), in a letter of encomendero Pedro Gentil of
Bustmante -owner of the property St. Lucia,in what is now the town of Jiquipilasthe following is stated:
"... I walk in my ranch that I found along the trunk of the Ceiba near that house
the Indians entrusted very catered food and sustenance of their lives, playing a

musical instrument of worthlessness but the joy of all to be sound; This musical
instrument is named Yolotli, Mexican language that says heart of heaven ...this
instrument is composed of eight red wooden slats, unequal size,who are bored
together with string and produce joyful echo tables macuaguil stick ... rows of
tables tied to short orquetas that are planted and stretched; under this instrument
a hole in the ground and glued with resin tables rattlesnakes snakes vibrate
musical notes with blows of two small sticks with headed black wax, one for each
hand, these blows out mourners sounds as if some of them desperate
memorandum bird sing their children ...
Professor Hernandez added that at the beginning of the sixteenth century black
slaves arrived in Chiapas and soon discovered the Yolotli in the Valdiviana's
ranch, property and the counts of Olachea Michelena (Basque-Andalusian origin)
on land owned today for the municipality of Cintalapa. The slaves were attracted
by the sound of the instrument and identified with a drum sounded in their distant
and longed African soil.
The book states later that was until 1860 that acquired the presentacin Yolotli
know today thanks to the ingenuity of musician Manuel Bolan Cruz, born in
Tonala in 1810 and died in 1863 Jiquipilas (His remains were buried in the old
cemetery of that population, already disappeared). The instrument grew to 28
keys with their respective pumpos, and this frame was already supported by four
long legs to allow three performers standing touch him. From this presentation it
begins to leave the Aztec name Yolotli and Marimba name became popular.
In 1896 Corazn de Jess Borraz Moreno,, born in Venustiano Carranza in 1878
and died in Huixtla in 1960, creates the chromatic marimba double keyboard (39
natural keys and 27 semitones) for four performers, which allowed integrate the
marimba flats execution.As musical complement, in the year of 1916 Francisco
Santiago Borraz he built a small marimba with higher tones for playing high
notes, called "requinta" (34 natural keys and 25 semitones)

THE ASIAN EXPERIENCE

Some researchers place his birth between Indonesian Batak to the seventh
century, who used it in the temple of Panataran. Another hypothesis argues that
the idiophone could arise in island civilizations of Banda and Timor seas or even
in other southern territories, to the islands of Arru, Ceram and Chuten. It is likely
that Malaysian archipelagos happen to Indochina, and serve as a point of
irradiation to India, the East Asian and the West, where some authors situate his
birth.
Japanese researcher Keiko Abe born in 1937, places the creation of a Chinese
instrument similar to a xylophone features during the appearance of the Ming and
Ching (s. XVII) ASIAN xylophone-like marimba.
Cuadro 1

AFRICAN EXPERIENCE

Many of the daily activities and especially the rites and festivals of the Central
African people,they are set to music with a wide variety of percussion
instruments having the culture of the continent, including the xylophone.
There is a town located in the province of Malange -Angola- in Africa, with the
name of Marimba, town located on the route roamed the Portuguese slave (DC
1540) for capturing black inhuman trade in the Americas.
Two people under one yoke founded the Afromestizo culture. The Indians of
Mesoamerica, found in music the instrument that enslaved blacks brother. The
aesthetics of slavery born of two cultures subjected identified in their struggle for
freedom and the search for a new cultural identity Afromestizo.
Legend presumed that one or more of these slaves brought in his memory
xylophone instrument easy to play with the woods growing in our rainforests. A
traditional musical instrument to remind them of their land and their customs;
longing would be the motivation.
Thus the idea was constructed, very widespread that the term "Marimba" and the
instrument itself, come from the African heart.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND NAME OF INSTRUMENTS LIKE TO AFRICAN

MARIMBA.
Senegal

Balafon or Rongo

Gambia

Ronat

Uganda

Amadina

Costa de Marfil

Bala

Sudan

Timbila

Nigeria

Gedegua

Zimbawe

Limb

In 1997 in the city of Madrid, Michel Kamano, Guinea Minister of Culture, on the
occasion of the 90th birthday of Leopold Sedar Senghor organized by UNESCO,
He told an old legend that records the origin of a musical instrument. The caption
reads:
"Far from Western civilization and customs, I was born in the pure land of red
and Africa around 1205. The good genie offered me Sumaoro Kant, king of
bland people. I was his oracle. But in 1305, Sunyata Kelta, emperor of Mandingo,
won the battle of kirina against Kant. I chose as a war trophy of the battle, which
would change the face of things for the Manding people. "
This mythical instrument, with almost eight centuries old is currently preserved
and was exhibited at the Museum of African Art. As for Chiapas marimba, it is a
symbol of cultural identity. Known as bland-bullet, it is considered the world's

oldest balafon, measures about 1.5 m. by 32 cm .; consists of bamboo pieces

joined together by thin leather straps 20 which rest on the wooden slats of
decreasing size, each with a small pumpo serving as a sounding board.
African xylophones locations
predecessors of our marimba:

where

instruments

were

developed

Dakar 2. Gambia 3. Fleetown 4. Bobo dioulasso 5. Abidjan 6. Cumasia 7.

Takoradi 8. Accra 9. Loango 10. Marimba 11. Congo 12. Wau 13. Luanda
14. Malange 15. Sa de la bandeira 16. Ciudad del cabo 17. Livingstone
18. Pretoria 19. Johannesburgo 20. Durban.

THE EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

The xylophone voice comes from the Greek roots Xilon phonos wood and sound,
in Germany it is known as Holozarmonika, Strohfieldel Xylophon; in France
Claquebois, Rgale, Rgale Bois, Percussion Rgale or Xylophon. In England
the Strohfieldel, Xilophone and Wood Armonique and Italy Siccato or xylophone.