GUADALAJARA, Mexico – The largest mariachi group ever seen in history sang over the weekend in the Mexican city of Guadalajara before an audience of 2,000 and entered the Guinness World Records by gathering 549 musicians onstage.

The artists wearing typical “charro” outfits belonged to 66 mariachi groups from Mexico and five other countries, who gathered Sunday on the stage of the Cabañas Cultural Institute in downtown Guadalajara, capital of Jalisco state, birthplace of mariachi music and tequila.

The 549 musicians performed five numbers together for 10 minutes, breaking the record set in 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona, with 520 musicians.

After the presentation in which the mariachis sang “Guadalajara,” “La Negra”, “Mexico Lindo,” “Fiesta en Jalisco” and “Cielito Lindo,” the manager of the Guinness World Records business office, Stuart Claxton, told the press that all requirements had been fulfilled.

“We asked them to play the music for a minimum of 10 minutes, and on this occasion playing five songs they did it perfectly, naturally with no pauses between songs,” he said.

Performing at the event besides Mexicans were musicians from Sweden, Canada, the United States, Colombia and Peru, who also took part in the 16th International Mariachi and Charreria (Mexican rodeo) Meeting held from Aug. 27 to Sept. 6.

Miguel Alfaro, president of the National Chamber of Commerce in Guadalajara, organizer of the event, said it was absurd that the record should be held in some other country when the birthplace of mariachi is Mexico.

“It was a great effort, we’re going to celebrate and get ready to break the record again by an even bigger margin,” Alfaro said. EFE