For fans of Mexico’s emblematic musical genre, Ajijic’s trailblazing Encuentro de Mariachi “Al Son del Lago” provided a series of great live entertainment events spread out over the week of April 10 to 14.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, around 50 budding musicians under 18 years of age were taking advantage of opportunities to hone their instrumental and vocal skills under the guidance of mariachi professionals.
The Mariachi Encounter was organized under the auspices of Ajijic’s Escuela de Mariachi Pedro Rey, housed in an old adobe building located at Constitución 147 on the western outskirts of La Floresta. The mariachi music school, the first of its kind in the Lakeside region, opened its doors in June of last year under the direction of Daniel Medeles Córdoba. He belongs to Ajijic’s best known musical clan and is the founding director of the outstanding Mariachi Real Axixic.
The school is named in honor of Chapala native Pedro Reyes, who migrated north at the age of 13, settling in the Los Angeles suburb of Montebello, where he opened El Rey, a Mexican restaurant featuring music by Los Galleros, the mariachi troupe he formed in 1968. After 50 years of residence in California, the octogenarian has returned to reside in his birth place and take pride in being the music school’s namesake and guest teacher.
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