Maria the Mexican

In the late 1970s, a group of musicians in Topeka, Kansas, formed what became one of the first all-women mariachi bands in the country. Mariachi Estrella broke down barriers in a male-dominated music scene, before a deadly disaster almost ended the group for good. Decades later, the band’s descendants are ensuring their legacy shines on into the future.

Segment 1: Why the face of vocational tech education is changing.When you think of career education classes for high schoolers, what comes to mind? Maybe…

Growing up in Topeka, Kansas, Maria and Tess Cuevas didn’t live in a Mexican-American neighborhood. So their after-school gigs were a little hard to…

Maria The MexicanSouth of the Border MoonlightAsk a Latina about her ethnicity and you’re likely to get a complicated answer. Products of colonialism,…

Maria Elena Cuevas calls her sound "roots music." In her case, roots have special significance. Her grandmother founded one of the first all-female…

Maria the Mexican is a roots-rock band fronted by sisters Maria Elena and Tess Cuevas, who combine vocal harmonies as part of the band’s blend of rock and…

The band Maria the Mexican describes its sound as Americana soul and Mexicana groove. Sisters Maria and Tess Cuevas got their start in Mariachi Estrella,…