Música folklórica, ethnic folk music, has its roots at the local level in Mexico’s rural areas, with differing son or song forms and instrumentation tied to particular regions of Mexico, such as the sandunga in Oaxaca, jarabe in Jalisco, jarana in Yucatán, danzón in Veracruz, or huapango in Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí. Such song forms are for the most part restricted to regional festivals or, in Mexico City, at shows staged for the benefit of tourists.

The best of the latter, the Ballet Folklórico de Amalia Hernández (Palacio de Bellas Artes, tel. 5512-2593, ext. 193, www.inba.gob.mx), performs regularly at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. This troupe, founded by Hernández and now managed by her daughter Norma Martínez, has accumulated 56 folk dances from around Mexico that have been choreographed for Mexico City and foreign tastes into 30 separate “ballets.” The costuming, settings, and music for these performances are superb. Some of the choreography—such as the “Aztec” dances—are by nature highly speculative but also among the most dramatic. Performances at Bellas Artes are offered only two days a week, on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets run $30–50, depending on seating. They sometimes play at the Teatro Hidalgo across the street also. Although the Amalia Hernández troupe is the most well known and is the permanent Bellas Artes troupe, other folkloric dance companies, such as the Compañia Nacional de Danza Folklórica, perform at Bellas Artes and elsewhere in the city.