Mérida Unplugged - Santiago park, Friday night

Other end of musical spectrum in Mérida. Up till about 9:00 a guy gives guitar lessons to local students.  After 9:00, a group of amateur musicians and dancers practice and perform.  Though they take donations, it's pretty clearly not a commercial thing -- they are in for the fun.

Dancers provides the percussion.  Combination of flamenco and tap dance?  On wooden pallets that serve both as a dance floor and an acoustic amplifier.

Guitars are really interesting.  Very small body acoustics, generally short scale lengths, but up to 12 nylon or gut strings.  Mainly a rhythm instrument.

And a jawbone / stick combo for rhythm also.  Called a "quijada" or "charrasca".  Made from jawbone of a donkey, horse or mule.  Makes a cool buzzing sound when you run the stick over the teeth.

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