Mariachi music is “family music,” says educator Ramon Rivera, who led Alabama’s first school-based mariachi program at Pinson Valley High School in September.

He said mariachi is for people of all ages, and that’s why it’s so important to the Hispanic community, especially within Mexican culture. Rivera said mariachi’s cultural significance and popularity make this an ideal music to teach students of all backgrounds.

“I think there’s new progressive ways of reaching students,” Rivera said. In particular, Hispanic students recognize this music as the sounds they grew up with.

“Representation matters in the classroom,” Rivera said. He said families can feel their culture is being honored and that students and their families can feel represented at school. Rivera said he plans to expand this program to other schools statewide.

Mariachi’s roots began in the 1800s in rural western Mexico. Scholars believe the term “mariachi” was used by the indigenous Cora to describe the wood used to craft the instruments. Popularity expanded into Mexican cities in the 1920s, then spread to the United States after World War II. While the type of songs may change, mariachi’s importance to Hispanic culture has stayed the same.

“Each of the (Alabama) mariachi bands has their own unique approach to music and styles,” said Guntersville resident Luis Trevino, who started mariachi band Los Amigos 14 years ago. Trevino grew up in South Texas with a grandfather who shaped him into a lifelong musician.

He moved to Alabama in 1989 to become a NASA electrical engineer at Redstone Arsenal. His passion has always been music, and he led Latin jazz and merengue bands with people from different backgrounds in Alabama.

“We’ve evolved into what I call a unique American party mariachi band, which means we play not only the classics, but we also throw in some Americana styles.” At a recent private event, a Mexican diplomat requested Sweet Home Alabama. Their set list includes Mexican classics like “Cielito Lindo” and “Besame Mucho.” However, they also play Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire,” Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” and the Osborne Brothers’ “Rocky Top.”

Their first gig in front of a Mexican crowd in Decatur was nerve-wracking for Trevino, especially considering two original band members were white. Once they started playing, however, Trevino said their jaws dropped.

“They loved us,” Trevino said. “They gave us food and drink afterwards.” He added the crowd loved their rhythmic styles and was glad for the positive feedback.

Trevino’s band is expanding in reach and size. They played Bonnaroo in 2016 after a showing of the 1986 movie The Three Amigos. In 2018, he created a mariachi band in Atlanta after an impromptu jam session at a restaurant.

“It’s been an adventure,” Trevino said. “(Mariachi has) taken us to every state in the southeast, including the Midwest several times. Los Amigos now includes multiple people of Hispanic ethnicity and sometimes a dancer. They play quinceaneras, private events, weddings, and surprise performances, which Trevino loves.

He recently visited a Catholic middle school for Hispanic Heritage Month to talk about mariachi, sing, and play the trumpet and ukelele. Trevino said they’re getting many more gigs for Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasts through Sunday.

“The Hispanic influence has really grown quite a bit, so the music is really a big part of it,” Trevino said.

Trevino turned 60 in July and said he isn’t quite ready to retire from engineering. But he knows what he’ll do when he leaves his day job.

“We’ll just travel and play gigs everywhere,” he said. “Music keeps you young, keeps you agile and happy.”