El Centro Chicano celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday with a mariachi concert featuring the Grammy-nominated Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles and Stanford’s own Mariachi Cardenal and Ballet Folklorico. Hosted in Memorial Auditorium, the concert drew a near capacity crowd, including many Stanford alumni attending the University’s first-ever alumni of color conference.

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Jake Oktawiec

El Centro celebrated its anniversary last night with music and dancing.

El Centro was first established in 1978 and serves as the center of activity for many Chicano and Latino groups. Its programs range from speaker presentations to study nights, and the community center also sponsors campuswide events such as the Cesar Chavez commemoration and the Cinco de Mayo celebration.

According to Carmen Gutierrez, one of the center’s program directors, El Centro provides a sense of continuity for the Chicano and Latino community at Stanford.

“It’s a home away from home for a lot of us,” Gutierrez said. “It’s a flexible environment — a perfect place for academics and community, as well as for informal relationships.”

Stanford’s Mariachi Cardenal opened El Centro’s anniversary concert, and was later joined by El Ballet Folklorico for a potpourri written by Mariachi Cardenal’s Danny Herrera.

The two groups were followed by Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, the nation’s first all-female mariachi group. The group drew laughs from the crowd as its singers made light of love and men. At one point, a performer went into the crowd and sang to individual members of the audience.

Reyna was followed by the headline group Mariachi Sol De Mexico. Sol is recognized as an innovative group that is willing to blend traditional mariachi music with different genres, drawing both praise and criticism from traditionalists. During the concert, Sol’s music ranged from extremely traditional rancheras such as “El Rey” and “Volver” to an unorthodox mariachi rendition of swing.

Both Reyna and Sol featured music written by Jose Hernandez, who was referred to as “a visionary” by the concert’s master of ceremonies. Hernandez, the director of both groups, is a prolific mariachi composer that has also written arrangements for other well known musical groups such as Mariachi Los Camperos and Mariachi Los Galleros.

The anniversary concert was sponsored by Andy and Mary-Lou Camacho, the parents of two Stanford graduates. All of the proceeds from the event will go towards funding El Centro’s activities.