thumb|Stained glass window entitled "El Jarabe Tapatio" (The Jarabe Dance from Guadalajara) designed by [[Roberto Montenegro and Xavier Guerrero in the 1920s at the Museo de la Luz in the historic center of Mexico City]]
The Mexican hat dance, also known as Jarabe Tapatío, is the national dance of Mexico. It originated as a courtship dance in Guadalajara, Jalisco, during the 19th century, although its elements can be traced back to the Spanish zambra and jarabe gitano, which were popular during the times of the viceroyalty. Female dancers traditionally wear a china poblana outfit, while the male dancers dress as charros, and their steps are characterized by flirtatiously stepping around the brim of their partner's hat.
The standard music of the jarabe tapatío was composed by Jesús González Rubio in the 19th century. However, its more common instrumental arrangement dates from the 1920s. Sometimes it is confused with La Raspa, another Mexican dance. Nowadays, its music is most commonly performed by either mariachi groups or string ensembles.
History
thumb|Jarabe dancers at [[Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Los Angeles, 1952.]]
thumb|left|Mexican Evening at Xcaret
thumb|Jarabe tapatío in the traditional china poblana dress.
The word jarabe (from Arabic xarab), meaning "syrup", denotes the combination of various Mexican musics (sones) and dances (zapateados). The word Tapatío meaning "someone or something from Guadalajara" is the demonym of the city of Guadalajara in Jalisco and reflects the origin of this particular jarabe. There is some dispute as to the jarabe tapatíos authenticity as folk dance. Music researcher Nicolás Puentes Macías from Zacatecas states that true jarabes are almost extinct in Mexico, found today only in small fractions of Zacatecas and Jalisco, and that the jarabe tapatío is really a form of a dance called "tonadilla". In addition to this, the dance's origins are also somewhat disputed, either being wholly indigenous or Hispanic in nature Shortly after that performance, the jarabe was banned by colonial and religious authorities "under the severe penalties of excommunication, some ducats of penalty and lots of stripes, to any person that compose or sing or dance" Most Notably, Fernando de Fuentes's 1936 Allá en el Rancho Grande (Over on the Big Ranch) features a musical number and dance scene where the actors perform the Jarabe tapatío. Camera angles throughout the performance showcase he dancers skill first off, but the delight, pleasure and astonishment in the crowd as they watch the nationalistic dance.
The jarabe remained in vogue in Mexico until about 1930, especially in Mexico City. The blouse and skirt combination is named after a woman from India who came to Mexico on the Manila Galleon to work as a servant in the early 19th century. Her Asian dress was copied and then adapted in the State of Puebla, with the skirt now heavily embroidered and otherwise decorated with patriotic images. The traditional outfit for men is that of the charro, generally heavily decorated in silver trim. and as a polyphonic ringtone on Nokia mobile phones in the 1990s and 2000s
A jarabe also appears in Aaron Copland's ballet Billy the Kid, played in time, the tune on a solo trumpet (with orchestral accompaniment).
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File:Jarabe... (8696931793).jpg|El jarabe tapatío starts the dance by dancing around a sombrero.
File:Los Jaliscienses.jpg|Jarabe Tapatío dancers
File:BalletaztlanOttawaJarabeOCt2015.jpg|Folkloric Ballet Aztlan performing Jarabe Tapatio.
File:Tradicionalranchero.JPG|Mexicans dancing jarabe tapatío in Guadalajara, Mexico.
</gallery>