Description
About the stamp designs: The stamps picture five different mariachi musicians and their instruments. The geometric shapes in the background represent Mexican villages, the places where mariachi music first came to be. The artwork and designs were done by Rafael López.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque Showcase Competition Concert.
History the stamp represents: Mariachi music is an iconic piece of Mexican culture. In fact, in 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) classified it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2022, the United States Postal Service recognized mariachi music and its importance to Mexican Americans with five Forever stamps. The designs were created by stamp artist Rafael López who also produced the designs for the Latin Music Legends, Lets Dance: Merengue, and Mendez v. Westminster School District USPS stamps.
While mariachi music originated in the Mexican countryside, its popularity in the US began to grow in the late 1970s. This led to mariachi programs in schools and churches, plus concerts, festivals, and more.
In 1990, MARIACHI USA was established. It’s an annual mariachi festival held in Los Angeles. According to the event’s website, “MARIACHI USA will celebrate the rich tradition in which so many Mexicans and Mexican Americans take pride, and which has secured its place as one of the most beloved music genres in world music.” In 2022, event tickets completely sold out, which goes to show how passionate mariachi fans are about their music.
5 sheets of 100 First-Class Forever® USPS postage stamps. *The slash over “Forever” in the image is to protect it from being used to produce counterfeit postage. Actual stamps will not have this.
