The common Mexican stereotypes in the film were fairly easy to identify. The violence over drugs and drug-wars are a common piece of the American view of Mexican culture. Also, the belief that Mexicans drink a lot is not discredited by the film.
That statement, "All he wants is to be a mariachi," is a very important statement in the film. Being a mariachi means that your entire life is devoted to your guitar and your music. To be a true mariachi, you must travel and have many experiences. You must then turn these experiences into songs and make the music to channel those moments. To El Mariachi, his path is already chosen. His grandfather and his father were both mariachis so that is what he must do. That is his destiny and his purpose. Also, in the film, it is a "gringo" not a Mexican who shoots El Mariachi's hand and ruins his ability to play the guitar. This emphasizes that to a Mexican, a mariachi is a respected, honored individual. But that is an appriciation lost on foreigners.
The role of music is huge in the film because it represents such an important aspect of Mexican, and Latin-American culture, in general.
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