On a rainy Friday in Denver, Esmeralda Cuevas-Lara stands in a classroom at Metropolitan State University holding a water bottle to her lips in place of a microphone. As a few other students sit in desks watching, Cuevas-Lara belts out lyrics from the Mexican mariachi ballad 鈥淓l Herradero.鈥�
鈥�Ay, qu茅 linda, qu茅 rechula las fiestas de mi rancho鈥�,鈥� she sings in Spanish.
Cuevas-Lara moved to Longmont from Guanajuato, Mexico when she was 15 years old. The song, she said, brings her back there.
鈥淭his is my favorite song to sing, because the song is about the festivals in Baj铆o, Mexico, and I鈥檓 from Baj铆o鈥揻rom Guanajuato,鈥� she said in Spanish. 鈥淚 love being able to represent that region, that鈥檚 so full of color, culture and music.鈥�
Cuevas-Lara, a senior at Skyline High School in Longmont, is one of many students from across the state and country who convened at the university over the weekend for the Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference. From beginner trumpeters to advanced vocalists, the university鈥檚 King Center was full of vibrant sound as young people honed their musicianship and met others passionate about traditional Mexican folk music over the course of Friday and Saturday.
The conference encourages students to improve their skills, but it is also an opportunity to celebrate part of Colorado鈥檚 cultural heritage, said conference co-director Lorenzo Trujillo.
鈥淭his was Mexico, and the border crossed us,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's part of Colorado's historical tapestry, and it's important that we recognize it.鈥�
Some mariachi instruments are common household names, like the trumpet and the guitar. But others, like the guitarr贸n and the vihuela, are unique to the musical genre. Sixteen-year-old Julissa Enriquez, also from Skyline High in Longmont, attended the conference to work on her guitarr贸n skills.
鈥淭he guitarr贸n is like a really big guitar, basically, but it's the base of the mariachi. It keeps, like, the entire mariachi in time, and it's just way lower than the guitar,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 got interested because there was, like, a showcase at school, and I was just like, 鈥榃ow, they sound so good!鈥欌��
The conference attracts top mariachi instructors to work with students. This year, Disney World鈥檚 Mariachi Cobre was on hand to guide and encourage the next generation. The band鈥檚 guitarist Omar Olivas said teaching children to play mariachi is joyful鈥揵ut it also has deeper meaning.
鈥淔olk music sometimes dies off with time, and with generations, because, you know, new music comes in. And while new music is great, I think it's always important to learn and to keep that traditional folk music alive,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t ties you to your ancestors, it ties you to your homeland.鈥�
As Friday afternoon wore into evening, students began to trade their jeans and T-shirts for the colorful ruffled shirts and adorned suit jackets of mariachi concert attire. Some strummed vihuelas as they walked the halls toward the stage while others told jokes secretively before putting on the faces of serious musicians once again.
Cuevas-Lara said she was preparing for a solo at the student showcase that night.
鈥淚鈥檓 a little nervous because I want to do the best that I can,鈥� she said in Spanish. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always going to be fear that something could go wrong, but I also want to enjoy it as much as possible, to represent my school and Mexico.鈥�
Come performance time, there was plenty of enjoyment to be had. What began as a smattering of mariachi groups performing in the halls and stages of the King Center around 5 p.m. Friday soon turned into an all-out jamboree of mariachi bands of all ages playing in any available crevice of the center鈥檚 main hall. Crowds watched as folkl贸rico dancers spun around and mariachi bands鈥搒ome of them with members as young as elementary school鈥損roduced sounds that made the snowfall outside feel like sunshine.
Olivas of Mariachi Cobre said he encouraged his students at the conference to remember that their audience wants the best for them鈥揳nd he couldn鈥檛 wait to see them put the new techniques they鈥檇 learned into practice.
鈥淲hen you're standing in front of all these strangers, like I told them in the classes, everybody that's watching you wants you to succeed. They want you to do good,鈥� Olivas said. 鈥淚t just brings me joy to see them up on the stage.鈥�
The photography in this story is funded by the Reflecting Colorado Photo Desk grant. KUNC, with support from the , aims to diversify visual storytelling by showcasing the rich cultural tapestry of the Centennial State. The Photo Desk project is a step towards embracing digital innovation and fostering inclusivity in storytelling.
