Zeke Castro, director
The University of Texas Mariachi, known as the The Mariachi Paredes de Tejastitlán, was founded in 1977. It was named in honor of Dr. Américo Paredes (1916-99), a seminal figure in the history of border studies, Mexican American studies and the post-modern movement in anthropology. The mariachi was created by a group of graduate students in Dr. Paredes’ History of Folklore survey class in the Folklore Department with Dr. Paredes as sponsor and inspiration. Early performers and/or directors of the group included Dan Dickey, Bill Gradante, Manuel Peña, and John Schechter. The mariachi eventually came under the auspices of the Music Department and was supervised by Dr. Gerard Behague (1937-2005) for many years.