Mariachi Aztlán formed in 1989 at legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American as a way to represent the students and culture of the area and has blossomed into a nationally award-winning program.
Dahlia Guerra, UTRGV assistant vice president for Public Art and Special Projects, founded Mariachi Aztlán when few music programs in the Rio Grande Valley offered mariachi.
“La Joya High School started [a mariachi program] in 1982 and I think McAllen High School started a year before us,” Guerra said. “But I had been impressed by the La Joya program. … The students really enjoyed what they
were doing and it was a beautiful way to showcase the culture of their area. … So, I started it here.”
From performances for then-President Barack Obama at the White House in October 2010 to collaborating with the Houston Grand Opera for the world’s first mariachi opera “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna,” Mariachi Aztlán has made a name for itself in the mariachi world.
“It’s been my life’s work and brought me so much joy and so much satisfaction,” Guerra said. “I feel like that it’s a legacy that I’m leaving. I have been at it for around 30 years. … So my whole life has been traveling the mariachi and promoting the mariachi. … I didn’t know what I expected. I just was doing it for the love
of music and for the love of our culture.”
She said seeing many students thrive and blossom through their experiences has resulted in many becoming teachers all over the state and professional artists.
Some notable alumni from Mariachi Aztlán are Mónica Fogelquist, an assistant professor of practice in mariachi and ethnomusicology and the director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Mariachi Paredes; Adolfo Estrada, an assistant professor at the Texas State University School of Music; Carlos Toledo and José Perez, members of the Mariachi Sol de Mexico; and Nathan Garcia, of Mariachi Los Camperos.
Francisco Loera, Mariachi Aztlán co-director and a UTRGV School of Music senior lecturer, joined the group as a student in 1994 and has been associated with the group ever since.
“It’s not an 8-to-5 job,” Loera said. “It’s a lot of practice [and] … research, and to take the kids to all these conferences where they can learn and motivate the kids and just submerge them into the mariachi culture.”
Currently, Mariachi Aztlán consists of eight violins, three guitars, three trumpets, a guitarrón and vihuela,
with many students being able to play multiple instruments, Loera said.
Eduardo Martinez, a music senior and trumpet player in the group, said he comes from a multigenerational family of mariachis and joined Mariachi Aztlán in 2018.
Martinez said he had heard about how prestigious the group was and made it his goal to join.
In his fourth year with Mariachi Aztlán, Martinez said the current group is a good mix of newcomers and veterans.
Having traveled and toured with Mariachi Aztlán for the last four years, Martinez will not participate in tours slated for this year to give other members a chance at those experiences.
“There’s two new guys here and they haven’t gotten the opportunity,” Martinez said. “I want them to go, and it’s their turn to enjoy that kind of experience.”
Guerra said it makes her happy to give students experiences outside of the Valley, such as performing at the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, Santa Barbara Bowl and at many other venues across the United States.
“Some of these kids had never left the Valley,” she said. “They had never been on an airplane. So, for example, to go and meet the president, it’s just a moment they’ll never forget.”
Loera said students jump to another level when they perform with other groups or mariachi, such as playing with the Houston Grand Opera or the Chicago Lyric Opera.
“They learn responsibility and experience,” he said. “To me, in this business, it’s the most valuable learning you can have. Because those guys [from other groups] are very professional, from organizing events, practices, having showmanship on stage. So, they learn to be more professional.”
During the fall semester, Mariachi Aztlán will be on tour with Aida Cuevas, the queen of ranchera music, on the “Yo Creo Que Es Tiempo” USA Tour, which includes performances in Edinburg and Brownsville.
Guerra said Cuevas, a guest artist in 2011, was so impressed with Mariachi Aztlán that she started inviting them to perform with her.
The most recent experiences the group has had performing with Cuevas was in the summer and fall of 2019 and at FESTIBA in March 2020.
Guerra said the confirmed tour dates that Mariachi Aztlán will perform with Cuevas are, as of press time, Sept. 30 in California; Oct. 16 in Tucson, Arizona; and Nov. 4 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
On Nov. 9, the group will perform with Cuevas at the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center in Brownsville and Nov. 11 at the UTRGV Performing Arts Center on the Edinburg campus. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m.
“This is going to be two fabulous concerts,” Guerra said. “She’s the ultimate icon right now for Mexican artists. It’ll be a beautiful evening of Mexican folk music. Last time we had her here it was sold out, so we really do want the community to come out and join us again.”
