Q&A: Mariachi Cardenal unites members through music and Mexican culture
Each year since the pandemic, Mariachi Cardenal de Stanford — founded 30 years ago as Stanford’s only Latin music performing group — has performed at Faces of Community, an annual showcase which aims to celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of student organizations during New Student Orientation (NSO).
For many of the organization’s musicians, including Carlos Pardo ’27, a bass player, and Patrick Vasquez ’27, a harp player, experiencing Mariachi’s Faces performance has helped them transition into their new environment and discover what Vasquez calls a “home away from home.” This year, rather than sitting in the seats of Frost Amphitheater, Pardo and Vasquez took to the stage bearing their instruments and traditional mariachi attire as sophomores, performing classical folk songs such as bolero and ranchera.
According to co-president Abby Garewal ’25, the mission of the group lies in highlighting identities that are historically not highlighted in Mariachi music. “That includes celebrating queerness and working against machismo,” she said. “Our goal is to celebrate our own heritage, but also to promote so many other missions within the umbrella of Latinidad.”
Over the past year of rehearsals, performances and hours of practice and laughter, Pardo and Vasquez say that the supportive and welcoming environment of Mariachi Cardenal has allowed them to become best friends. The Daily spoke to the two sophomores about their time in mariachi, identity and heritage.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
The Stanford Daily (TSD): How did you join Mariachi Cardenal?
Carlos Pardo (CP): Coming into Stanford, I already knew that I wanted to join Mariachi Cardenal so that I could continue playing mariachi music, [which I’d done] since sixth grade. I met the officers at FestiFall 2023, told them about my experience playing the Mexican folk harp and thankfully, they let me join!
Patrick Vasquez (PV): I was blown away [at FACES]. I showed my mom and she loved it and told me you have to join. I had to learn a new instrument in college. I’ve been a lifelong musician. I play piano, saxophone and bass. I wanted to learn one more and thought learning an instrument for mariachi would be an incredible thing to do. I saw Mariachi Cardenal at the club fair, and I signed up through El Centro.
TSD: What has been your favorite memory so far?
CP: My best experience was doing Valentine’s Day serenades. That was one of my favorite days at Stanford because we got to travel all across campus. I was a frosh so I wasn’t familiar with all of campus, but we got to travel to all ends. Being able to play for people and getting to see their reactions when they saw the mariachi band pull up and play was really exciting.
PV: One of the most memorable experiences was my first performance for the Stanford medical minority group at the start of winter quarter last year. I was feeling nervous, [even though] I had memorized all the songs and I still had the music taped to my instrument. I was so stressed out because right in front of me in the audience was Dean Minor, the dean of the medical school. As a pre-med student, that was a big deal. Coincidentally, he was also my COLLEGE 102 professor, so it was a double big deal. I was staring right at him in the audience. It was scary but it also filled me with a lot of energy and passion to just give the best performance that we could. We did; the audience cheered for us and they didn’t notice if we messed up one note or two.
TSD: How do you connect to your culture through music?
CP: Playing mariachi music has allowed me to connect to my culture not only by listening to traditional Mexican folk music but also by actively participating in it. Through my mariachi harp, I have discovered other Mexican folk genres, such as “Son Jarocho” from the coastal state of Veracruz, a style of music that features melodic harp playing. These experiences have not only enlightened me about the intricate beauty of Mexican music but also given me the opportunity to share it with others who haven’t been exposed to it yet.
PV: Music is a way to express myself and share my emotions. As an audience member, you may not be able to see or tell but every single time that I play my instrument, strum the strings, it is a time that is filled with many emotions — passion, joy and pain too, all the hours of practice and the callouses that have formed on my fingers. But through all these feelings, I am really confident in the songs and sounds that I create with the rest of the band. Playing with others is the most powerful part, and continuing this legacy of rich tradition and musical history. Mariachi is not really popular among younger people; it is classical, traditional, much like the other genre I play, which is jazz. But every time that I am able to put a smile on the audience’s face and get applause from them, I think I’m doing a really good job of continuing the legacy.
My mariachi performances also affect my family profoundly, especially my grandma on my mom’s side, who is Mexican. The picture she sees of me in my mariachi outfit performing is incredible. She has never witnessed my performance, but just seeing the photos afterward puts a huge smile on her face. If I can do that for my own family, then that is an extremely powerful feeling that I want to share with others.
TSD: Which aspects of Mariachi Cardenal are you most looking forward to this year?
CP: I hope we can keep expanding our musical repertoire by introducing more complex mariachi standards that I know audiences will love. Most importantly, I hope we continue to have fun doing what we do.
PV: Last year was a rebuilding year. Several members who had been in the band before graduated, and our group needed new instruments. Carlos and I both filled the gap because they did not have players for our instruments. We attended many more workshops than we normally did. Our hope this year is to carry that over so we can have a really great year. We’ll have traditional mariachi outfits, which is really exciting, since that is the one thing that I felt was really unifying in the sense that we were lacking. I’m also excited to just recruit more members. Last year, we lost our instructor who was an alum. This year, one of our main goals is trying to find someone to replace that role. By doing so, we hope to lay a really strong foundation at Stanford, making us the band that you want to call and have us perform.
TSD: What is the importance of Mariachi Cardenal to the broader Stanford community?
CP: I believe it is our responsibility to be ambassadors of mariachi music. Mariachi is a beautiful genre that anyone, regardless of background, can appreciate, and I think we should do everything we can to ensure that this wonderful music reaches as many people as possible.
PV: The role of mariachi is to make people laugh. It is not only about music and performance, but also entertainment. Any time that there is an opportunity where you want a group to liven up the audience and make it an enjoyable event, we are the people to call. It is a universal experience. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your background is or where you are from. If you like the genre, mariachi has the power to evoke so many positive feelings, and that is something we want to spread as much as possible.
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