Mariachi mujer

PORTRAIT

CONNECT

ALUMNA MARIALUISA MEZA-BURGOS

IS A PIONEERING VOICE IN

DENVER’S REVOLUTION IN THE

MEXICAN MUSICAL FORM.

Marialuisa Meza-Burgos grew up steeped in the beautiful sounds of her Chicano ancestry. Her father’s strummed Norteño tunes served as backdrop for her upbringing in Pueblo.

Though music always played a role in her life, she remembers when it became her calling.

“I was like 5 or 6, and we were at the Colorado State Fair,” she said. “There was this woman singing Selena songs, and she invited all the little kids on stage. When she noticed I was singing, she handed me the microphone for a couple seconds. I thought, ‘This is so cool. I want to do this.’”

From that day forward, it was all singing lessons, concert performances and countless jam sessions with her father. Her passion for music would eventually lead Meza-Burgos to become a pioneering voice in Denver’s mariachi revolution and a leader of the beloved Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival.

Meza-Burgos arrived at Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2011. Despite the “very rigorous” music curriculum, she made time for mariachi. She played with friends, sometimes performing at campus events. The group ultimately became the founding members of Mariachi Los Correcaminos (Mariachi Roadrunners).

What began as a student club has since grown into a mariachi ensemble through which students can earn academic credit. The group, now helmed by Affiliate Professor Lorenzo Trujillo, Ed.D., J.D., performs across Colorado.

Meza-Burgos, a 2016 graduate, continues to build her life around mariachi. In 2021, she became music coordinator for the Latino Cultural Arts Center, and she helps facilitate the annual Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival. This year’s event will take place at Levitt Pavilion Denver on Sept. 25.

Besides celebrating the culture, folklore and irresistible rhythms of mariachi music, the festival is about offering a stage to underrepresented communities, Meza-Burgos said.

“Our vision is to create art experiences that inspire social change by elevating artists and the intellectual contributions of Latinos,” she said. “Sometimes, we have to fight a little bit harder for (representation). But there is success with hard work, perseverance and dedication.”