A special series of stamps featuring mariachi musicians were recently released by the United States Postal Service.
“U.S. Postal Service Honors Mariachi, the Traditional Music of Mexico,” the U.S. Postal Service tweeted this past weekend with the hashtag #mariachistamps.
Inspired by movie posters from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, the five stamps were created by artist Rafael López, who splits his time between Mexico and San Diego. Each stamp features an individual mariachi playing a traditional instrument – guitar, vihuela, guitarrón, violin, and trumpet.
López grew up in Mexico City and is a mariachi himself. He plays the guitar, violin, and guitarrón. During an interview with the Associated Press, he said mariachi music is a “universal thing” that offers listeners “a little bit of a moment to relax and feel happy once in a while.”
“I think that’s something that makes us Latinos very proud to see something that started in this region of Mexico and all of a sudden it becomes part of the Southwest culture,” he said. “It becomes part of the United States as well. Before you know it, it’s universal, it’s international.”
López shared with his followers what the stamps would look like earlier this year on his Instagram page.
“Growing up I remember nostalgic weekends listening to the uniquely Mexican sound of Mariachi music,” he wrote. “Colorful songs that tell stories of celebration, struggles, lost love and joy. Mariachi music is an emblem of Mexican cultural heritage with roots in the United States and followers around the globe. Excited and honored to share the vibrant spirit of Mariachi music with five new Forever stamps I created for the United States Postal Service. Viva Mariachi!”