Band Leader
The band leader of Mariachi Azteca de Praga is the well-known Mexican musician Alejandro Tamez Quintanilla, originally from Monterrey, where he grew up under the musical mariachi guidance of his mother, who also taught him to play the guitarrón.
Alejandro is not limited to just one instrument. In addition to the guitarrón, he is an accomplished performer on the guitar, vihuela, piano, violin, and trumpet.
While still living in Monterrey, he studied Organizational Psychology at the Universidad Metropolitana de Monterrey.
After his journey brought him to Europe, he continued his education in Catalonia, Spain, where he completed a specialization in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
Alejandro's path eventually led him even farther from his native Mexico — to the Czech Republic. He first arrived in Prague in 2006, when a friend invited him backstage at a concert.
"Suddenly, an unfamiliar foreigner appeared and struck up a conversation with Alejandro. Since he spoke fluent English, there was no language barrier. He asked Alejandro about himself and, upon learning that he was a mariachi musician, became enthusiastic and encouraged him to stay in the Czech Republic, saying that this kind of music was still missing here.
When the stranger left, Alejandro's friend, eyes wide open, revealed: 'Do you know who that was? That was Karel Gott.'"
Alejandro ultimately decided to stay in Prague. Inspired by the Czech saying "Every Czech is a musician," he chose to teach Czech musicians how to play Mexican folklore and thus founded something truly unique on a global scale:
Mariachi Azteca de Praga
