Socially Distant Serenatas? How the Mariachi Community Navigates a New Reality

Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas’ Maricela Martínez’s last paid gig was March 17, right before the COVID-19 pandemic essentially canceled any and all sorts of social events deemed the bread and butter for mariachi musicians.
“After everything got canceled, I didn’t even want to even open my case and get my trumpet to practice,” she says. “I thought, ‘What for?'”
From Cinco de Mayo to Mother’s Day followed by back-to-back quinceañeras a