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Maracas

American History Museum

Maracas
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Object Details

maker

Ramos, Ismael

Description

This variety of maracas, made of cow leather and sinew, is used in musical genres like guaracha, son, and salsa. They are of different sizes, so that one is pitched higher and the other, lower. In contrast, the Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition known as bomba uses a larger, single maraca in its performances.

Description (Spanish)

Esta variedad de maracas, confeccionadas con cuero y tendón de vaca, se utiliza en la interpretación de géneros como la guaracha, el son y la salsa. Tienen distintos tamaños, de modo que una produce sonidos más agudos y la otra más graves. En contraste, para la interpretación de la música de tradición afro-puertorriqueña conocida como bomba se utiliza una sola maraca más grande.

Credit Line

Gift of Teodoro Vidal

Date made

20th century

ID Number

1997.0097.1098

accession number

1997.0097

catalog number

1997.0097.1098

Object Name

maracas, pair

Physical Description

wood (overall material)
leather (overall material)
nylon (overall material)
metal (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 29.1 cm x 8.1 cm x 7.7 cm; 11 7/16 in x 3 3/16 in x 3 1/16 in

Place Made

Puerto Rico: Bayamón

See more items in

Home and Community Life: Ethnic
Music & Musical Instruments
Cultures & Communities
Vidal

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Metadata Usage

CC0

Link to Original Record

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a4-3a86-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record ID

nmah_602467

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