Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán

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Logo of the Mariachi Vargas
Mariachi Vargas, 1950

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán is a more than 120 year old and very traditional Mexican mariachi band, which was founded in 1898 by Gaspar Vargas López (1880–1969) from Tecalitlán and is considered the "world's best mariachi band".

history

The band initially consisted of four members, all of whom came from the southern part of the Mexican state of Jalisco . The official founding date is September 15, 1898, when the band received their charter from the community leader Trinidad de la Mora. After just a few years of existence, the band was known in many parts of the state of Jalisco and also in neighboring Colima . At that time, it was not uncommon for two wealthy landowners to each arrange a mariachi band to compete against each other. After that, the defeated band had to leave for a long time. In this way there was a musical duel between the Vargas de Tecatitlán and the Los Trillos in 1905, from which the Mariachi Vargas emerged victorious.

In 1921, Silvestre Vargas (1901–1985), the son of the band's founder Gaspar Vargas, joined the group and took over its leadership in 1928 from his father, who was in the band until 1953. Silvestre Vargas was a member of the band until 1975.

In 1944 Rubén Fuentes (* 1926) joined the group at the invitation of Silvestre Vargas and later took over its musical direction from him, which he held until 1975. After that, the line passed to José "Pepe" Martínez (1941–2016), who was also born in Tecalitlán and who was her musical director for 38 years before he had to resign from this position for health reasons. Since then his nephew Carlos Martínez has been leading the band.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Historia de las Mariachi Vargas (Spanish)
  2. ↑ Nancy Minerva Luna Cruz: El Mariachi Vargas, más pop que nunca (Spanish; article from August 26, 2014)
  3. ↑ a b Mariachi Vargas: Primera Etapa 1898–1930 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Silvestre Vargas Vázquez at discogs.com (English)
  5. ↑ Mariachi Vargas: Tercera Etapa 1950–1975 (Spanish)
  6. ↑ Canciones escritas por Silvestre Vargas (Spanish)
  7. ↑ Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan: El mejor del mundo ... (Spanish)
  8. ↑ Farewell to Don José 'Pepe' Martínez of Mariachi Vargas (English; article from April 25, 2016 on the occasion of the death of Pepe Martínez)

Web links