Mariachis, the new stamps of the Postal Service

Published February 9th, 2022

The sound of Trumpets mixed with guitars and a raspy voice that sings lyrics of love and feelings have made ranchera music a symbol of a community that feels represented by these sounds; not only in Mexico, beyond its borders as well.

The magic of ranchera music is the one that Rafael Lopez, a conceptual illustrator born in San Miguel de Allende (Mexico) and educated in San Diego, seeks to convey through his art.

“My inspiration comes from music, cinema, thousands of things that I see when I go out to the street and new things that I get to know,” Lopez said to Al Día News. “I want to communicate to people the way I see mariachi, and its history through the years.”

In 2012, Rafael López designed a series of stamps for the postal service of the United States inspired by iconic Latin musicians like Carlos Gardel, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Selena. It was called ‘Latin Legends’ and made part of a permanent collection of the Postal Service.

I wanted to do something that felt nostalgic and emotional.

Ten years later, López has been called again to illustrate a series of stamps inspired by mariachi music.

“I wanted to do something that felt nostalgic and emotional, a combination of my life, the way I saw mariachi and what they really were in history,” says Lopez, who was also inspired by the old parks, which is where mariachi started to be played at the start of last century.

This artistic achievement is very important because the Postal Service only chooses 20 themes for its stamps. They must have history and represent a community of the United States. For this reason, it is so relevant that mariachi is part of this concept of latinhood that is brewing in this country.