Emotion filled the auditorium at Eastern Washington University as soprano Jaqueline Itzel Medina Green rehearsed “El Pastor,” a soulful Mexican ballad from the 1960s, in preparation for this weekend’s Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Behind her, EWU’s Mariachi Las Águilas joined in with a gentle accompaniment that amplifies the emotion in her voice as she sings about a humble sheepherder and his deep connection to the Mexican countryside.
“These are the stories of the families, the stories of the culture. When they sing or play their instruments, this is part of who they are and part of their identity,” said Sheila Woodward, EWU music professor and founder of the mariachi group.
Mariachi Las Águilas will take the stage for two performances on May 2 and 3 to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. In partnership with Encanto Arts, a nonprofit focused on arts, culture and education, the concerts also will feature guest soloists José Iñiguez, Encanto Art’s executive director; Jaqueline Itzel Medina Green, soprano and board member of Encanto Arts; and Vivianna Macias-Katzenstein, a member of EWU’s Orchestra and Repertory Jazz Band.
Iñiguez said they have been experimenting with new sounds this year by blending jazz and orchestral elements with traditional mariachi. This genre fusion, he explained, highlights the rich diversity within Latino culture – from Mexico to Central and South America, and throughout Washington state.
He added that today’s performances reflect a more “modern mariachi” shaped in part by the introduction of the trumpet in the 1940s. He said they hope this will bring out a different mariachi sound.
“Before that, mariachi music was more strings and piano,” Iñiguez said. “That's what I love about mariachi music, because it continues to evolve. And this weekend, it's going to evolve, and you're going to hear some jazz with mariachi.”
Bridging generations and honoring history
On May 5, 1862, the French army invaded Mexico to expand French influence in Latin America.
Former President Benito Juarez, who was the first Indigenous president of Mexico, ordered General Ignacio Zaragoza and his army to defend Mexico.
Although much smaller and less equipped than the French army, the Mexican army defeated the French in what became known as the Battle of Puebla, or Cinco de Mayo.
"It became a symbol of sovereignty; it became a symbol of Mexican heritage,” said Luz Maria Gordillo, a U.S. history professor at Washington State University.
She said that the significance of Cinco de Mayo and other important events in Mexican history is often conveyed through mariachi music but is frequently overshadowed by the tacos and drinks many associate with the holiday.
Still, she said this deep sense of pride has grown into larger celebrations in the United States – especially within Mexican American and Mexican immigrant communities – featuring festivities, music and mariachi performances.
“In a country where Mexican American culture is sometimes marginalized or misunderstood, mariachi stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and cultural richness and the enduring contributions of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants,” Gordillo said. “It's a vibrant reminder of their unique place and just their ongoing influence of culture to the United States as much as Mexico.”
The song “La Adelita,” often interpreted by mariachis, was a ballad written and inspired by Adela Velarde Perez, a woman from Mexico who joined the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
Although the songwriter is unknown, it has become a vital part of women's history in Mexico.
That symbolism and rich history is what inspired Woodward to establish Mariachi Las Águilas at EWU 11 years ago.
“I wanted to start up a program that would provide a platform for Hispanic culture, for the Latinx students to really celebrate their music and their culture,” Woodward said. “A lot of the students, when they hear this music, this is what their parents have been playing or their grandparents, so they feel that this is a connection with their roots.”
Darryl Singleton, assistant professor of Black music in America and social justice at WSU, said the holiday’s popularity in the U.S. reflects a desire among Mexican Americans to share and reconnect with their heritage – especially those from Latino backgrounds looking to better understand their identity. As a result, mariachi, traditional food and festive drinks have become central parts of the celebration.
“Cinco de Mayo has become a rallying point for Mexican culture, just like Juneteenth has become a rallying point for African Americans,” Singleton said. “Because I almost guarantee you, there's a lot of people that are celebrating Cinco de Mayo here that may actually have grown up in Mexico that never celebrated there, but because it is part of the connective tissue of Mexican culture and Latino culture here in the States, they embrace it.”
Singleton, who is also the adviser for WSU’s mariachi group, “Mariachi Leones Del Monte,” said that by students joining the group, they preserve and pass on the cultural stories embedded in traditional Mexican music.
“We have some students that are in mariachi who, while they are of Hispanic or in these cases, specifically Mexican descendants, they have not had an opportunity to engage in Mexican culture,” Singleton said. “The two students that I'm thinking of – one of them hardly speaks Spanish. The other one learned to speak Spanish in high school so that she could connect with her own roots, so participating in a mariachi is a pillar to connecting to their own heritage.”
‘Mexico will always be in my heart’
Rebeca Lara and Mateo Garcia, students at EWU both majoring in music, joined the university’s mariachi as the violinists, feeling disconnected from their community and wanting to learn about their culture through traditional Mexican music.
“I come from a family of creative people, and being able to connect to my roots in a musical way and being in a Mariachi is something that I can't often find anywhere else,” Garcia said.
Lara, who grew up in Pasco, said joining Mariachi Las Aguilas has not only brought her closer to her culture but also has deepened her connection with her family. She said her mother began sharing stories about their family history – including that several relatives had also played in mariachi groups.
Lara said one song in particular, “México Lindo y Querido” (“Beautiful and Beloved Mexico”), released in 2005 by Alejandro Fernandez, fills her with the most pride and joy. For Lara, it captures how she has come to embrace her cultural identity.
“The singer is singing about his love of his country,” Lara said. “One of my favorite lyrics is, ‘Si me muero lejos de ti, que digan que estoy dormido y que me traigan aquí.’ It’s basically stating that no matter where I am, Mexico will always be in my heart.”
As a proud Mexican American, Iñiguez said that seeing younger generations embracing mariachi music is what Cinco de Mayo and mariachi is all about.
“Half of my siblings were born in Michoacan, Mexico. My parents come from Michoacan. And, ultimately, one of the things that I'm proud of is because we're just following what every single generational immigrant has ever done, no matter where they come from, no matter what, we go somewhere to try to find a better life,” he said. “We need to continue to be informed and educate ourselves so we can continue to be proud of our heritage."
He hopes that people that attend the concerts over the weekend, whether they have cultural ties to the music or not, feel and understand the history that comes with Cinco de Mayo and Mexican culture.
“We live in a diverse country, very multicultural, so we have to lean into those strengths,” Iñiguez said. “I hope this concert, for folks who are Latino, but also from any other culture, can look across the aisle and watch every single person bob their head, no matter if it's in Spanish, English. I think that’s what matters.”