SAN ANTONIO – Hundreds of students on Friday learned from some of the best in Mariachi music and competed in the largest international youth group and vocal Mariachi competition in the world at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
The packed auditorium watched as Julio Martinez, of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, played the harp as if it was straight from the soul.
"I would say (Mariachi is) flourishing," said Kamryn Ramirez, who started playing in ninth grade.
Ramirez is a senior in a McAllen high school, and in 2015, she won Best in the U.S.-Mariachi Vocalist.
"There's, like, so many people that come here, that support this, and they love it," Ramirez said.
More than 1,000 students coming from Texas, California, Nevada and Mexico honed their skills as they took part in a huge element of Hispanic culture.
About 5,000 students in San Antonio schools, and 20,000 students in Texas schools total, play Mariachi.
Jackelyn Barrera has performed since she was a freshman in high school. Like Ramirez, she also won the Best in the U.S.-Mariachi Vocalist, but Barrera won in 2014. Her high school in Roma, located between McAllen and Laredo, won last year for the fourth time in a row.
For an art many associate with entertainment on the Riverwalk, Barrera said the competition keeps it authentic.
"I think everybody has that, kind of like mindset about Mariachi, and I think it's more about tradition, keeping the tradition alive. Like, just sharing our beautiful music with everyone," Barrera said.
"You have to play with heart, with passion and it has to be done right. And it all goes back, I told them, it's our roots," said Eloy Garza, Barrera’s mariachi director.
The gathering is the biggest youth Mariachi group and vocal competition in the world.
This year, there are a record amount of college Mariachi programs competing. Rice University in Houston, Texas State and San Antonio College were just a few competing.
The organizers of the competition said the programs help get students to continue their passion for music while getting an education.
"When they graduate and they go onto these colleges, they're the ones who are starting these programs on the college/university campuses," said Cynthia Munoz, producer of the 23rd Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza.
The competition culminates Saturday evening beginning 7:30 p.m. at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in the convention center, where the group and vocal winners will open for Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.