Page 83 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2018 Issue

Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School was founded in the fall of 1992 by Mr. Richard Carranza as a curricular
component within the Pueblo High Magnet School Performing Arts Department. Comprised entirely of
Pueblo High Magnet School students ranging in age from 14 to 18 years old, the mariachi program has grown
from eleven students in its first year to well over one hundred and twenty students currently. Students are
offered three levels of mariachi music: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced performing group – “Mariachi
Aztlán.” Students entering the performing group must, after audition and acceptance, maintain a high level
of academic achievement in order to remain on the “first team”. Their extensive practice and performance
schedule also demands most of their free time. The sixteen-piece mariachi Aztlán is motivated by pride and
dedication to their cultural heritage of Mexico.

The Mariachi Aztlán of Pueblo High School plays authentic mariachi music, arranged and conducted by
director, John Contreras, a mariachi musician with over twenty-five years of experience. As Tucson’s most
popular youth mariachi, they have gained a reputation for excellence, sharing the stage with many of the
world’s finest mariachi ensembles as well as symphony orchestras. Through their music, they are
continuously promoting a manifest pride in their cultural background and are an excellent example of the
best our youth has to offer.