Now, at age 90, Miguel Martínez has outdone himself once again. On August 29, the Encuentro Nacional de Mariachi Tradicional  hosted a book signing event for his landmark autobiography Mi vida, mis viajes, mis vivencias: siete décadas en la música del mariachi (México, CONACULTA, 2012) at the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce. This is the first book‑length biographical work to be published about a major mariachi figure. “I wanted to tell the story of how the modern mariachi began and how it evolved, in terms of my own experiences,” the author explains. “Thanks to the selfless help of many friends, this publication has finally become a reality.”

The book’s author with Rigoberto Alfaro

The event began with Jonathan Clark, biographical consultant for the publication, telling the story of how he met Miguel Martínez and how this book became a reality. Next, historian Eduardo Martínez, nephew of the author, spoke about his role as a researcher for this project. But the main attraction was the author himself, who kept the audience spellbound with his fascinating anecdotes as more and more people made their way into the hall during the nearly two hours the event lasted. Those present included Germán Gutiérrez, director of Mariachi Internacional Guadalajara, anthropologist Jesús Jáuregui, Édgar Martínez, director of the Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi, Jesús Rodríguez de Híjar and all the members of his Mariachi de América, Rosa Nely Sánchez, president of the Silvestre Vargas Cultural Foundation, and Dr. Manuel Soto, former mayor of Tecalitlán.

Juan Mercado, Antonio Hernández, Mario Santiago, Pedro Rey, and Mark Fogelquist

Maestro Martínez’s influence on contemporary mariachi music remains monolithic. “In every song Mariachi Vargas plays today, there is something of Miguel Martínez,” insists Federico Torres, trumpet player with the group since 1967. “All of my life, Miguel has been my idol. He set the standard for mariachi trumpet, and that’s the lineage we follow. We continue to preserve his magnificent style so that it won’t be lost. That’s one of the reasons why we still include so many solo trumpet interventions, even though there are three trumpet players in the group today.”

Julio Martínez, Pancho Gouygou (“El Charro Francés”), Alicia Rodríguez (initiator of Silvestre Vargas Museum), and Jonathan Clark

The autobiography Mi vida, mis viajes, mis vivencias will soon be available at EDUCAL, Gandhi, El Sótano and other cultural bookstores throughout Mexico. There is currently no US distributor for the book, but an English-language translation is planned.

Photographs by Isolda Rendón

Text by Jonathan Clark