CALDWELL, ID — In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Idaho Tejano Community Organization held its 9th annual Tejano music festival in Caldwell to celebrate the rich history Tejano culture has to offer.
The Tex-Mex genre of music was born in Texas, made by fusing American and Mexican music styles. The sound was first introduced back in the early 1820s, but it wouldn't appear in the larger world of music until the 1960s.
Ricardo Quilantan, an organizer for the event said, "The Tejano music, traditions, and culture come alive here in Idaho because we've been here since the 1950s."
According to data from 2019, around 13% of Idaho’s population is Latino, which is why the Idaho Tejano Community Organization started holding Tejano music events about 12 years ago, in an effort to share the Tejano culture with Hispanics locally.
"It is beautiful music and it's a good sound. We would like people to come and join us and have fun," said one band manager.
Speaking with several people who showed up to the Tejano music festival, they said the biggest key to growing the community is getting the children involved, whether that’s through singing or dancing.
Beni Villalobos, the lead vocalist for Arriezgo said he performs to honor the culture he was raised in.
Villalobos explained, "The same culture we grew up exposed to, especially in Texas, still lives and flourishes here in Idaho. That is how I honor my grandparents. I honor our Mexican community and our Latino community in the same way, by performing old school good quality music that just gets them up and dancing.
