Historias que contar / Stories to tell

A connecting relationship through the Island of Jarácuaro

By Ruth Hellier, Professor, Department of Music, UC Santa Barbara

Although I had known Hugo for some time as a musician in Ensamble Vientos del Sur, it was only in early June 2019 that Hugo and I discovered our deep shared connection to one very tiny and specific place in Mexico: the Island of Jarácuaro. Hugo’s family is from the Island of Járacuaro, Lago de Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, part of a region with a remarkable legacy of teachers, teacher training and vibrant musical and cultural practices (and, significantly, home of P’urhépecha peoples for many centuries). For my part, I had spent much time living on or near the Island of Jarácuaro from the mid1990s onwards as part of my research on musical practices, teaching and transmission. I played violin with an ensemble from Jarácuaro and knew so many people who were connected with the dance of the old men (la danza de los viejitos) and who were teachers. Of course, I knew of the Macario family as a family of teachers from Jarácuaro who, like others, lived in the nearby lakeside town of Pátzcuaro.

Pictured from left: Professor Ruth Hellier and Maria Macario on the Island of Jarácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico, on June 22, 2019

In early June 2019, Hugo and I were in conversation. We were preparing for his role as new Director of the UCSB Son Jarocho Ensemble (an ensemble which I had envisioned in 2015 when teaching an undergraduate course on Musics and Dance in Mexico). Hugo and I had one of those exchanges that starts out with general connections–“...Mexico...state of Michoacán”–and then gradually becomes a spine-tingling sense of deep correlation “...near the city of Morelia...town of Pátzcuaro...one of the islands on Lake Pátzcuaro...Island of Jarácuaro.”

At that point, Hugo and I knew that we would have so much to talk about and so many possibilities for future collaborations. I already had a visit to Jarácuaro planned for 23 June, because my dear friend Leobardo was to be one of the hosts for the celebration of Corpus Christi. With great excitement, enthusiasm and energy, Hugo said that I should therefore meet with his sister Maria on Jarácuaro. On 18 June, Hugo and his wonderful wife Lucia Torres came over to my house in Santa Barbara and we sat and chatted away and even had a facetime call with Maria. Then just a few days later, I was on the Island of Jarácuaro meeting Maria in person. While I was there, Hugo called by phone to check in on us. It was a wonderful testament to Hugo’s deep desire for connections and for making the most of opportunities.

Cover of Historias que contar by Ensamble Vientos del Sur (Hugo Macario, Jose Elizarraraz, Robert Gutiérrez). Released in 2015 through La Cima Music and Vientos Del Sur Productions.

In June, Hugo gave me a copy of his 2015 CD titled Historias que contar (Stories to tell), that he created with fellow musicians Jose and Robert with their Ensamble Vientos del Sur. If you look at the cover, you will see Lucia’s stunning collage of photos, including one of the Island of Jarácuaro. And if you listen to track 10, composed by Hugo and titled simply “Jarácuaro,” you can hear Hugo’s deep sense of musical relationship to his family’s home.

Hugo’s life was clearly lived to the full. Even with Hugo’s all-too-brief time as Director of the UCSB Son Jarocho Ensemble he made a great contribution to life at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was truly an accomplished, experienced and skilled teacher and musician who enabled every participant to feel included and valued. For my own part, I have a sense of profound sadness that the possibilities for future collaborations with Hugo, exploring stories of musicians and teachers of Jarácuaro, are no longer possible. In place of these possibilities, and as a way of expressing my enormous appreciation of Hugo’s life, my future research presentations about Jarácuaro and musics of Mexico will always be dedicated to Hugo.

Pictured at top, from left to right: Lucia Torres (Hugo Macario’s wife), Lecturer Hugo Macario, and Professor Ruth Hellier in Santa Barbara at Ruth Hellier’s house on June 18, 2019. Phone image: Hugo Macario’s family in Pátzcuaro. Laptop image: Ruth Hellier with Leobardo Ramos of Jarácuaro.