Marx Huancas founded the Utah Mariachi Program in November 2018 with the mission of every child, adolescent and adult to practice and develop a love for MARIACHI music. The program went on hiatus in March 2020, but never stopped, performing in backyards and at churches. A few students have been performing with Huancas since 2018, while others were taking lessons and learning. Huancas set high standards for the students in the Utah Mariachi Program and in January 2023, selected only the strongest students to form Mariachi Fuego, who won third place in a mariachi contest in August 2023, competing against professional mariachis. Now in their third year, Mariachi Fuego is truly on fire.
