Mariachi Aztlan fundraises to represent Arizona in national parade

Members of Mariachi Aztlan of Pueblo High School gathered Thursday evening for two hours of rehearsal, putting in the practice that translates into live performances at private and community events throughout Tucson each month.

This summer, Mariachi Aztlan’s hard work may shine in front of a bigger audience, after the musical youth group was selected to represent Arizona in America’s National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

But with their diminished funds due to the pandemic, the group is feeling pressure to raise the money needed to cover costs of the Fourth of July trip. 

“I’m not sure how many groups have had the opportunity to be selected twice, so we’re very honored to have been selected again,” Mariachi Aztlan director John Contreras said of this being their second time to participate in the D.C. parade. “Our biggest hurdle now is obviously that costs have gone up.”

Mariachi Aztlan was founded in 1992 by Tucson native Richard Carranza and has been led by Contreras for 18 years. The group has won first place consecutively the past seven years in the Tucson International Mariachi Conference’s High School Division.

Governmental entities and state officials can nominate marching bands throughout Arizona for the chance to represent the state at the national Independence Day Parade. The Arizona Governor’s Office then makes the final selection.

Mariachi Aztlan was chosen to take part in the parade in 2007 and 20 students made the trip to D.C. that year. U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Tucson nominated the group both times, Contreras said.

'Playing catch-up' on funds

This year, Contreras hopes to take 26 students on the trip and the estimated costs stand at about $1,500 per student, he said.

He’s including four students who were members of Mariachi Aztlan during the pandemic days. They never got to travel for performances, so he has invited them to play with the group at the parade.

Contreras noted that prior to the pandemic, Mariachi Aztlan would play five to 20 paid gigs a month, such as at birthday parties, weddings and community events. During the pandemic, however, they were unable to perform live and their funds depleted.

They picked back up on paid gigs in March 2022 and have been “playing catch-up” with their finances ever since, he said.

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A Mariachi Aztlan parent created a GoFundMe campaign for the Washington, D.C. trip last September, which had raised nearly 10% of its $36,000 goal as of Friday, Jan. 13.

That, coupled with money they’ve earned from gigs and fundraisers, has put the group about one-third closer to their overall goal of $55,000.

“We’re hoping we can get people to help us with that final push so we can tell the kids, ‘This is now a go,’ and we can focus on what we need to be able to offer the best performance and represent the state in the best way we can,” Contreras said.

'I'm in my dream group'

For 16-year-old Alexis Vargas, a violinist and junior at Pueblo High School, it was a dream come true to become a member of Mariachi Aztlan.

She recounted how she felt the day she wore her official Mariachi Aztlan suit, commonly known as a traje, during a Mexican Independence event in Tucson.

“It was incredible. I looked in the mirror and I was like, ‘Wow, I'm actually an official Aztlan member'. That’s when it really hit me, I’m in my dream group,” Vargas said.

Asia Mojarro, a 17-year-old senior at Pueblo High School and lead violinist with Mariachi Aztlan, spoke proudly of the way the group overcame difficult, remote rehearsals during the pandemic.

Thanks to their hard work and dedication, she said, the group was able to return to performing gigs as soon as Tucson Unified School District officials gave them the green light.

“I want to go and represent what is good about our school. We work hard to not only improve ourselves, but to improve our community,” Mojarro said. “We just really love playing around our community and making things more connected between cultures.”

To learn more about Mariachi Aztlan events and fundraisers, visit www.mariachiaztlandepueblohs.com.