Silvestre Vargas (31 December, 1901 – October 7, 1985,

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

) was a Mexican

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

musician. In 1928, he became the leader of

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

, an ensemble from

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

begun by his father in 1898. In the 1930s the group moved to

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, and Vargas, along with

Rubén Fuentes Rubén Fuentes (15 February 1926 – 5 February 2022) was a Mexican classical violinist and composer, who was best known for his contributions to mariachi music. Biography In 1944, Fuentes joined Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán as a violinist a ...

, became pivotal composers in the evolution of the genre. Silvestre and the Mariachi Vargas made dozens of recordings and starred in many films through the 1960s. He died in 1985, and his gravesite became a popular site for

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

s on the date of his death. In 1997, a museum dedicated to Silvestre was established in

.The Silvestre Vargas Museum
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References

1901 births 1985 deaths Mariachi musicians Mexican fiddlers Mexican musicians 20th-century violinists {{Mexico-musician-stub