Mexican pride! US honors mariachi on postage stamps

Published July 17th, 2022

There are few corners of the world where mariachi music has not yet arrived, filling the streets with the sound of trumpets and guitarrones that are an essential part of the traditional Mexican genre.

Now, all that festive atmosphere is being condensed into U.S. postcard ringers.

The U.S. Postal Service on Friday celebrated the release of a new series of stamps that pay tribute to mariachi. The first-day-of-issue ceremony was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, and brought together musicians and aficionados from around the world for a weekend of concerts organized by the 30th annual Mariachi Spectacular of Albuquerque.

The five different postage stamp designs were created by artist Rafael Lopez, who lives and works in both Mexico and San Diego, California.

Each depicts a musician dressed in a traditional uniform with his instrument. The outfits are ornate, but the background is simple and bright, inspired by the colors of another Mexican tradition, the papel picado that often adorns fiestas and other events.

Although the origins of mariachi are shrouded in mystery, Lopez said there is no doubt that the beats and rhythms that evolved over centuries in small Mexican villages are now known worldwide.

There is something special about the festive nature of mariachi, and Latinos are proud to be able to share that with other cultures, he said during an interview from his studio in San Miguel de Allende.

That the music and tradition of Mexico are now recognized on these stamps is an added bonus, said Robert Palacios, executive director of the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference, which is held each year in that border city.

Palacios, 32, plays the guitarron and says music kept him out of trouble in high school.

Palacios grew up in Mexico City. “It turned my life around,” he acknowledged. “That’s what I wanted to be and now, 20 years later, I’m the director of the mariachi conference and I work to keep it alive. So it’s a full circle for me, being a student and now being able to share that passion.”

Lopez said the mariachi effect can be magical, putting people in a festive mood and quickly turning complete strangers into friends. But he can’t explain whether it’s due to the rhythm, the attire, the singing, or a combination of all of it.

“It’s something universal about mariachi that’s hard to explain,” he said.