In this episode, we learn that the word mariachi comes from the French and describes men in sombreros and traditional costume who, for a few pesos, provide the musical entertainment of all sorts of ceremonies and fiestas.
The hooded mask of the Zapatistas is not just a means to assure they remain anonymous, but it is also an important symbol of egalitarianism. Other masks are also frequently worn in Mexico: those of the wrestlers, for example, and they have become a true cult object all over the country.
We also visit the country side to attend the Charros, gatherings of the rich landowners who dress up in sombrero or flounced dresses to celebrate mass, attend rodeos or dance polka on every Sunday. And we meet the Pachucos, aging dandies, boastful storytellers, who brought back their gangster hat and two-coloured shoes from the US where they’d been to find work.
Tribal dress is still present: the Triki Indians still wear their ancestral poncho called whipil despite the contempt it arouses in city people. Another tribe – an urban tribe – has a very strong presence in Mexico: the Masaguas cholos skato-punks - Masaguas Indians who settled in town and adopted skates and the punk look as their identity.
We learn that dress in Mexico is a mix of Spanish, Indian and North American influence, but men are not shy of taking off their dress to demonstrate in the nude in order to proclaim their extreme poverty to the face of the world.