SAN ANTONIO, TX — Belle Ortiz, who passed away on July 13, 2023, at the age of 90, was a pioneer in bringing mariachi music into the mainstream. She was a piano prodigy who became a teacher, performer, and advocate for the Mexican musical genre. She launched the first mariachi program in San Antonio’s public schools in 1970 and later expanded it to local colleges. She also founded and directed the Mariachi Campanas de America, one of the most acclaimed mariachi groups in the country.
Ortiz was born in San Antonio in 1933 and started playing the piano at the age of four. She studied music at Our Lady of the Lake University and became a music teacher at Lanier High School in 1969. She noticed that many of her students were interested in mariachi music, but there was no formal instruction or recognition for it. She decided to change that by creating a mariachi class and writing the sheet music for it. She also persuaded the school district to provide instruments and uniforms for her students.
The mariachi program was a success and soon attracted attention from other schools and media outlets. She was featured in national magazines and television shows, such as People and Good Morning America. She also received numerous awards and honors, such as the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Texas Medal of Arts.
Ortiz did not limit her influence to the classroom. She also formed and led her own professional mariachi group, the Mariachi Campanas de America, which performed at prestigious venues such as the White House, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. The group also collaborated with famous artists such as Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, and Selena.
Ortiz was a mentor and inspiration to many mariachi musicians and educators, who paid tribute to her in her final days by serenading her at her bedside. Her son, Roland San Miguel, who followed in her footsteps as a teacher, said that his mother changed the lives of thousands of people with her passion and vision. “She was a trailblazer,” he said. “She opened doors for so many people.”
The legacy of Belle Ortiz lives on in the countless students, performers, and fans of mariachi music that she touched with her talent and spirit. She will be remembered as a cultural icon who made San Antonio proud.
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