Mariachi wear traje de charro proudly

Los Camperos de Nati Cano wear trajes that cost about $3,000.
FRANCISCO MEDINA/Tucson Citizen

The dapper duds that are the official costume of the mariachis are called the traje (suit) de charro.
The charro is the gentleman cowboy of Mexico's equestrian tradition, and the outfit reflects his stature in society.
"The traje itself is a riding suit," notes Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School director Richard Carranza. "It has a short jacket, the pants are fitted to the legs. It always looks like they're a little too long at the ankle. There's an excess of fabric there. They're made longer so when you mount your steed you don't have high waters."
The ornamental botonaduras (shiny buttons) date back to the time before zippers when one buttoned on chaps for riding. The wealthier you were, the fancier your buttons were. It indicated your status in society.
The charro traje can be made from any material, but frequently is made of wool. Wool tailored suits were used almost as tuxedos for evening wear.
"When you're out on the range, they make it out of suede ( gamuza)," Carranza says, noting that "The Camperos (Nati Cano's group) have an all-suede uniform."
In performance, mariachis top off the look with a fancy embroidered or gold-threaded sombrero that's very expensive. There's also a traditional sombrero made of straw used to keep the sun out of the eyes, added Carranza.
"The belt that you wear is handmade," Carranza says. "It's called a cinto piteado. Pita is a thread made from the fibers of a cactus. It's actually wound and sewn by hand. Pita thread can be washed and cleaned. A cinto piteado will outlast you. It's very durable, but used as ornamentation."
There are different types of trajes - the traje chinaco, which has all the characteristics of a traje de charro except from the knee down there are bell bottoms. They have a different colored cutout on the side, derived from Argentina and Spain. This style was very popular with groups in the 1970s.
"Nowadays, the most traditional traje is the traje charro," Carranza notes. "You can either have it with the botonaduras, which are the buttons down the side, or you can have leather designs sewn on, almost like embroidery. That's called greca.
The footwear of the traje is an ankle-high boot called a botine. It's a short boot because the pants are so tapered at the ankle that a regular boot would not slide underneath.
In addition, a tie called a moño is worn. It can be plain or ornamented with embroidery and initials, as such artists as Vicente Fernandez have popularized.
Trajes come in a range of prices, said Carranza.
"You could get a bargain basement traje for about $60 that's very poorly made," he says. "You'd be lucky if it survived the first dry cleaning. Some of the more expensive trajes, like the Camperos wear, made of gamuza, are about $3,000 each."