(29) Latin American Folk Art Maracas. Some contain iconography from Cuba and other Caribbean countries, as well as images of lighthouses, waves, palm trees, and more. A wide variety of colors and sizes. Shake, shake, shake, senora! 

Condition: Commensurate with age and use. 

Box Size: 20 x 12 1/2 x in. 

Largest: 12 1/2 x 5 1/4 in. 

A maraca, sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. A maraca player in the Spanish language is called a maraquero. The term maraca is believed to originate from the Guarani word mbaraca, and the general design of the object is pre-Columbian in origin, used by indigenous peoples of South America and the Caribbean for ceremonial and communicative purposes. Ethnographic accounts attribute its invention to groups such as the Arawak, Tupi, and Taíno peoples. Before becoming a foundation percussive instrument in Latin music, maracas were rattles of divination, used by priests as far south as Paraguay and as far north as Florida to communicate with gods and the spirit realm. As such, their rhythmic rattling caused by seeds, bones, rocks or other minute items inside the body of the gourd-shaped device has long been associated with ceremonial dance, and seamlessly transitioned to its most common use today in popular music.

Commensurate with age and use.