“It’s a huge responsibility for me to prepare my children to be part of the next generation of mariachi and Mariachi Vargas,” says Jose “Pepe” Martinez, Jr., violinist and vocalist for “el mejor mariachi del mundo,” Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. “My wife and I shared the responsibility of standing in line for one week to register our children in the Escuela de Iniciación Artística Número 3 del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes en Mexico D.F.,” he explained as we chatted in my home during his one week stay in San Antonio this summer.