Mariachi musicians are now on stamps...
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When the Postal Service asked Rafael López to design a commemorative stamp representing Latin American culture in the United States, he knew exactly what to show: a mariachi band. And he knew just one stamp was not going to be enough. "The contribution of mariachi music is huge. We cannot just recognize it with one stamp. We need to create at least a series of five," the Mexican American artist told NPR at the launch this month in the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum.
"So I went back to the director and I said, what if we actually have five different musicians? You can't fit five of them in one little step. I don't think that's enough honor, you know, to mariachi music." It's the first timea mariachi band is featured on U.S. stamps, according to the Postal Museum. And for some in the Latino community, it's recognition of how their heritage and culture are part of the American fabric. López himself splits his time between San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and San Diego, California.
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