The Life and Career of Mariachi Educator Zeke Castro

Mariachi programs entered the public schools in the Southwest in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the Chicano movement ushered in an awakening of pride in Mexican heritage. The purpose of this historical biography was to examine the life and career of mariachi educator Ezekiel (Zeke) Castro (b. 1939). Zeke Castro taught mariachi and orchestra in Texas for more than three decades. He influenced generations of mariachis and was a trailblazer in mariachi instruction within the field of music education. The contribution of mariachi educators to the history of music education is not well-documented and Zeke Castro’s story is significant. The culmination of Zeke’s work contributed to the establishment of several public-school mariachi programs and to mariachi becoming a sanctioned University Interscholastic League event in Texas.