There’s a case to be made for country-western music as San Antonio’s signature sound. But on any given night – in restaurants like Mi Tierra, along the winding River Walk, at quinceañeras and gatherings all over town –it’s the blare of trumpets, the raspy resonance of strings and the aayyy Jaliscos that ring out.

The Music of Celebration

As is often the case, the exact origins of the genre and its name are a little obscure. But it’s generally agreed that the music is native to western and northwestern Mexico, and may have been well-established before the second half of the 19^th century. It wasn’t until after the Mexican Revolution of 1910, however, that the slim pants, short jacket and broad-brimmed sombrero – all modeled after the heavily ornamented traje de charro of Mexican horsemen – became the costume of choice. In San Antonio, where the charro tradition also survives, the dazzling duds are de rigeur – and we have the mariachi shops to make sure no mariachi, male or female, goes without the requisite corbata or sash.

The Roots of Mariachi in San Antonio
By the 1930s, local San Antonians flocked to Haymarket Square (site of the present-day City Hall), to hear guitarreros sing and play. And as mariachi music became the national music of Mexico in the ‘40s and ‘50s, the city followed closely behind. By the late 1970s, mariachi ensembles had become a part of many junior high and high school programs, and in 1979 San Antonio hosted the First International Mariachi Conference, helping to launch the movement nationwide.

The Tradition Continues to Flourish
School programs continue in San Antonio at all levels, and organizations both cultural and commercial offer workshops and instruction. Groups like the Mariachi Infantil, the all-female Mariachi Las Alteñas, the University of Texas at San Antonio student band, Mariachi los Paisanos and the renowned Mariachi Campanas de America not only keep the tradition alive locally, but also spread San Antonio’s colorful culture and sound around the world.

Annual Mariachi Extravaganza
The annual visit of Mexico’s world-famous Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán to San Antonio brings a week of mariachi madness to the city, with community and school presentations, instrumental and vocal workshops, a group competition, serenades on the river and much more. The extravaganza concludes with a traditionally sold-out concert.

Where to Hear Mariachi Music
Mariachis are not confined to San Antonio’s stages or schools, either, as sacred spaces also resound with the harmonies of mariachi choirs, guitarrones and vihuelas. At San Fernando Cathedral, the state’s oldest continually operating religious community, a bilingual mariachi mass takes place each Saturday and welcomes all. Anyone needing a double dose of musical inspiration can also take in the English-language mariachi mass presented every Sunday at Mission San José Catholic Church, the Queen of the Missions. The historic setting is yet another perfect backdrop for a musical genre as comfortable in front of an altar as it is in the center of a rodeo ring – one that has become as much a part of San Antonio as the restaurants and river banks that will entertain locals and visitors during the holidays and beyond.