vihuelas

Vihuela is the name given to two related plucked string instruments from Iberia and the Americas. The term refers to a Renaissance Spanish instrument, the vihuela de mano, as well as to the Mexican vihuela used in mariachi music. Although they share a family and a name, they differ in construction, playing style, and function.

Renaissance vihuela de mano: developed in 15th‑century Spain. It has a flat back and a rounded body with a waist, and it typically carries six courses of strings (twelve strings total). The instrument is plucked with the fingers and was used to accompany song and dance as well as to perform instrumental pieces. Notation for the vihuela uses a special tablature. Its repertoire was compiled by composers such as Luis de Milán, Alonso Mudarra, Miguel de Fuenllana, and Luys de Narváez; many pieces survive in printed collections. The vihuela declined after the 16th century but influenced later guitar and lute playing and experienced revival in the early music movement.

Mexican vihuela: a distinct instrument developed in Mexico after Spanish colonization. It is a guitar-shaped instrument with a rounded back and typically five courses of strings (ten total). It is strummed to provide rhythmic accompaniment in mariachi ensembles and is used alongside guitar and guitarrón.

Today, the historical vihuela is mainly encountered in scholarship and early-music performance, while the Mexican vihuela remains a core rhythm instrument in modern mariachi.