Entering the practice space, you are met with the sounds of strings being tuned, laughs cheering up a dark, cold night, and sheet music shuffling. As the musicians settle in, the conductor sets the tempo and counts them in—one, two, three . . .
Accented strings of three violins and one viola, the blare of a trumpet, and the strum of three guitars form a cohesive, heartful song. This is mariachi.
Mariachi Quinto Sol at the University of Washington (UW), established first in 2004 by former student Mario Perez, has made a comeback since its reformation in 2023.
The club went dormant during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, students’ relentless pursuit is a testament to the community it fosters and the significance of mariachi music to people on campus and in the Greater Seattle area.
Christian Sanchez, an incoming first-year student in 2023, was one of the people who fostered the club’s resurgence.
“I was very excited, coming into this very big school and making a change happen,” Sanchez said.
Starting a club at a large university came with challenges, especially at a predominantly white institution, but club members said the love of music and culture kept the mariachi group alive.
Sanchez grew up in Yakima County, which is 86% Latine and where mariachi is a staple in his community. He played the flute in his high school band but was later asked by his director to try mariachi.
“I fell in love with it right away,” Sanchez explained. “Everyone in there was so fun. There was such a good sense of community because everyone is coming together to play this music.”
Sanchez came across Mariachi Quinto Sol through the club directory page in 2023. He decided to revive the club rather than form a new mariachi club for a quicker and easier process.
He met David Delcid Saavedra, who was also looking to start a mariachi at UW. Together they worked with an alumni of the program to reinstate the club.
“I grew up listening to mariachi,” said Saavedra, a third-year student and viola player. “It was a part of something that I had already been immersed in, and so I was just wanting to be more involved in it.”
The club was up and running by the end of October 2023, with Sanchez as director.
But then Sanchez transferred to Central Washington University without knowing who would take over the club—or if it would continue.
“Finding someone that could slow down and be able to take over was such a hard thing because everyone’s so busy,” Sanchez said. “We’re literally just a bunch of college students trying to do something that’s an activity, not a priority.”
Yesenia Zwilling, a second-year student, and Maribel Lopez Sanchez, a first-year student, rehearse the song “Arboles de la Barranca.” Zwilling and Lopez Sanchez were two of three violins present during rehearsal Feb. 12, 2025.
Photography: Dany Villarreal Martinez
Brenden Shen, a third-year student, plays the guitarron for Mariachi Quinto Sol on Feb. 12, 2025. Shen took the school-issued instrument home that night to practice and play for his friends.
Photography: Dany Villarreal Martinez
Fatima Hernandez, a second-year student and viola player, took on the leadership role after Sanchez transferred.
“If this was a space they enjoyed being a part of, I wanted to do everything I could to make sure this was a space that continued,” she said.
Yesenia Zwilling, a second-year student and violin player, was one of the people who needed this community, having played the violin for 12 years but never in a band.
“I never really played as part of a band before, so I think it’s really cool to hear how all the instruments come together,” she said.
Most of the Mariachi Quinto Sol students are also members of the Husky Marching Band and the UW Symphony Orchestra.
Given that mariachi is composed of both string and brass instruments, students with this other experience are most likely to have the basic skills needed to learn the music.
But students from both these groups are often the busiest, so participation with the mariachi band is not guaranteed.
Students do not have to be Mexican or even Hispanic to join Mariachi Quinto Sol, and skill level does not matter either.
“We can share our culture with anyone who wants to be a part of it,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez always uses the same line with anyone she meets who might be even a bit interested in mariachi: It is beautiful music that is welcoming to everyone.
“I announce it to people regardless of their ethnicity,” Hernandez said. “I’m just like, ‘Oh, hey, do you happen to play the violin or the guitar.’ And if they say yes, I’ll pitch it to them.”
Alam Velazquez, a second-year student and trumpet player, looks forward to introducing mariachi music to those who have never heard it.
He is from Tacoma, a city with a large Hispanic community. He hopes to “add something new to UW life.”
Mariachi Quinto Sol performing at the Young Executives of Color Conference on March 2, 2024. This was the group’s first performance since students reinstated the club at the University of Washington in 2023.
Photography: Cameron Delfin
Because of the shifting leadership and busy participants, scheduling practices and performances has been hard for Mariachi Quinto Sol.
Hernandez said the group had been asked to perform at a number of events but had to decline.
“We really wanted to do Latino graduation,” Hernandez said. “But just realistically, with the amount of members, the consistency, and the point we were at in our mariachi club, we couldn’t do it.”
Funding has also been an issue for musical group.
In 2023, Sanchez covered many expenses, including paying every time they wanted to use a practice room at the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center.
“I remember paying like $100 out of my pocket,” Sanchez said.
He didn’t tell the other members, he said. He just wanted to keep the club running for his bandmates.
But, some good news: The club has a performance scheduled for March 1 at the Young Executives of Color conference, which is a UW student organization. Their first performance was at the same conference last year.
“I just keep hoping that there’s the people there as excited as I was and it keeps going and getting bigger,” Sanchez said, referring to the legacy she hopes to create.
“Finding community here at UW can be really hard,” Hernandez said. “Mariachi was a space to promote my culture to UW and to express: ‘We’re here, and we’re meant to be here.’”
Dany Villarreal Martinez (she/her/ella) is a Journalism and Public Interest Communication student at the University of Washington in Seattle. As a Mexican immigrant, her life goal is to give back to her immigrant community by providing truthful and accessible communication.
Camila Avelar (she/her/ella) is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Journalism and Public Interest Communication with a minor in leadership. She hopes to pursue a career in video journalism and entertainment media.