This is a fabulous event and a wonderful opportunity for Mariachi Aztlan. The Smithsonia Institution’s American Folklife Festival is where I did my internship following my junior year in college. It’s a beautiful outdoor festival that features unique cultural traditions throughout the world. The event attracts thousands of people from everywhere. I promised myself I would make it an annual tradition to attend the festival each year but haven’t been since 1987. My mom attended the event during my internship and was invited to demonstrate how to make homemade flower tortillas in front of a couple of hundred people. It was a hoot. She was the hit of the event. After she made the tortillas people grabbed for them with great eagerness to take a bite. I have no doubt UTPA’s Mariachi Aztlan will be a huge hit in D.C. and wow audiences throughout.

Mariachi Aztlan will perform daily June 27-July 1 and July 4-8. The event is FREE. Mariachi Aztlan was selected to perform after applying for a grant made available to colleges and universities. Twenty-one universities were chosen to participate out of 100 applicants. Congratulations to Dr. Dahlia Guerra who has spearheaded the mariachi music program at UTPA for over 2 decades. The group has won first place several years during San Antonio’s Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza where they were selected by the world-renowned and Mexico City based Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan as the best mariachi group among colleges/universities in the U.S. The group performed recently for President Obama and was invited by the Houston Grand Opera to perform in Cruzar La Cara de La Luna (To Cross the Face of the Moon) last year in December. The group memorized the entire opera written by Leonard Foglia and Jose “Pepe” Martinez, Sr.  They performed the opera at Talento Biligue de Houston.

Best wishes to Mariachi Aztlan during their travels to D.C. this summer! Wish I could be there cheering you on. Will be there in spirit!!!