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Fado songs are known for their themes brimming with emotional suffering and melancholy -- longing for one's hometown, family or a love lost.
Like some of these other musical styles, the origins of fado are a mystery.
"Musicologists have a lot of theories but we don't have a correct theory," Mariza, a well-known fado singer, said by phone from her Lisbon home.
"But I think the most correct one is that it's a mix between (the music of) African slaves and (Portuguese) sailors."
In the 19th century, fado had its genesis in the poorer neighborhoods of Lisbon, Portugal's capital.
But in the 1970s, Mariza said, many younger Portuguese were ashamed of singing the music because of its association with the country's former dictator, Antonio de Oliveira Salazar.
"When the regime came down (in 1970), people in their 20s and 30s didn't want to be connected with the music. So you only heard it in the older, more traditional neighborhoods," she said.
Over the last 10 years or so, fado has grown throughout Portugal and has become part of its musical fabric.
Mariza said she grew up in the middle of an old Lisbon neighborhood and began singing the music by the time she was 5.
She initially sang fado songs with light, happy themes.
"My family had a restaurant and Sunday was fado day. I started out listening to the more traditional fado songs," she said.
Fado is currently on a fast track to gaining popularity in Europe and North America. And Mariza is one of its prime proponents though she demurs when asked if she's a star.
Her latest album, "Fado Curvo," debuted at No. 14 on Billboard's World Music chart in early May and soon soared to No. 6.
During a May concert tour of the United States and Canada, Mariza was interviewed on NPR's "All Things Considered" and on July 16 NPR's "Fresh Air" program glowingly reviewed "Fado Curvo" and a recent Mariza concert.
After giving concerts in major European cities earlier this summer, Mariza just returned here for an extensive North American tour.
As part of her current tour, she will perform Tuesday at Santa Fe's Lensic Performing Arts Center. The concert is part of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival's World Music Series.
Mariza also has performed in Brazil and will return there for a series of concerts in September.
Though the choro is Brazil's song of lament, Brazilians have taken fado to heart. "There's a strong feeling in Brazil for fado," Mariza said. "It's the music of the mother country." | 
