Andrea Gallegos, Mariachi Director. Tucson, AZ  |  2023

Andrea Gallegos, one of the first female mariachi directors in the Southwest, has been playing and singing mariachi music for 29 years. “In Mexico, Mariachi was predominantly a male genre, but in the United States, females of all ages now participate in Mariachi,” she says “At age 13, I helped start Mariachi Sonido de Mexico (MSDM) in Tucson in 1997. Eventually I became its director in 2005, making me the first and only female Mariachi director in the region at the time.” She strives to promote and preserve this beloved art form through teaching and directing. Her apprentice is Neveah Esquivel.