The Petenera is a flamenco palo in a 12-beat metre, with strong beats distributed as follows: [12][1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11].
It is therefore identical with the 16th century Spanish dances zarabanda and the jácara.
It is believed to be a very old style of song, as it was already mentioned by writer Serafín Estébanez Calderón in the mid 19th century, and the adherence to the rhythm of the old zarabanda seems to confirm its age.
Several theories have been suggested as to its origin, although there is not enough evidence to sustain any of them unerringly: This article about a music genre is a stub.
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