For the children, it’s a new experience that brings them surprise and excitement. They follow him everywhere, asking what language he speaks, if he lives in the United States. César Castro has become a symbol for them, one that will be etched in their lives.
It was during the pandemic that César Castro decided to launch his podcast Radio Jarochelo on YouTube. He didn’t want to lose that connection with the community and wanted to continue doing what he’s done all his life, promoting fandango jarocho in the community.
“During one of those broadcasts, I received a message that said, ‘Greetings from Tlalixcoyan, Veracruz‘.”
Castro, also known as Jarochelo, was surprised. In that town lay his parents’ roots. César was born in Veracruz, where he learned the art of the son jarocho, the jarana, and the fandango.
“It’s our land, and suddenly that message appeared. In the next broadcast, they were present again. It was maestro Ricardo Santiago, the town’s elementary school principal. He told me they were learning from my program,” Castro says.
He promised to visit Tlalixcoyan as soon as the pandemic ended, wanting to reconnect with that part of his life.
The first trip he made was in 2021, and it was like a great sigh. He returned to his roots.
Since then, with his resources and those from the international community, he has conducted a Fandango workshop that brings together children, youth, and adults from the town to play jarocho music, versada, and fandango.
“For many of them, it’s their only educational opportunity during their vacations. Now, they eagerly await August to participate in the course,” says Jarochelo.
This year, he was able to incorporate a ‘versada’ teacher into his team, Ana Zarina Palafox, a resident of Mexico City.
César Castro has a long musical career. He grew up in Veracruz but, from a very young age, was a member of the iconic group Mono Blanco and later, in Los Angeles, of Quetzal. For years, he has directed the musical group Cambalache and this year received one of the grants from The CA Creative Corps Fellowship at Community Partners. He is not only a promoter and exponent of son jarocho but has also dedicated a significant part of his 20 years in California to conducting workshops in schools, prisons, and cultural centers.
“This experience, these trips have become a commitment I look forward to. I identify with the children; I was like them, growing up with that enthusiasm, learning the first chords of the jarana. Here, in the workshops, the children have that natural talent. In Veracruz, in Tlalixcoyan, they already have the rhythm since they were born,” he adds.
This personal project and that of Maestro Santiago have become a community project. They contribute what they can: food, lodging, and the physical space for the workshop.
This year, they already had 60 participants, and for the first time, they will hold a Fandango at the end of the course, on the Day of the Virgin of the Assumption.
“It’s time. We’ve made progress; we can now have this experience. It hasn’t been easy; they dance uninhibitedly, it’s in their cultural memory, I’m just helping them wake it up, guiding them,” he says.
“Here, in the workshops, the children have that natural talent. In Veracruz, in Tlalixcoyan, they already have the rhythm since they were born,” César adds.
For the children, it’s a new experience that brings them surprise and excitement. They follow him everywhere, asking what language he speaks if he lives in the United States. César Castro has become a symbol for them, one that will be etched in their lives. Surely, years later, they will say to each other, “Do you remember the musician with the hat and that eternal smile who taught us the fandango?”
“I feel like the uncle of many,” he says humbly.
Other children are shy, but under that shyness, they approach.
“They fight against their nature,” says César. “I see myself as a mirror, with that curiosity, that spark. Today, almost a child made me cry. He’s six years old and went to the ‘versada’ class. He came out, and I saw him. I asked him what he had learned. And then he started to ‘versear’ (improvise verses), with meaning, of course, it wasn’t perfect, but there he was, throwing verses into the air, playing with the rhyme.”
This year, he was able to incorporate a ‘versada’ teacher into his team, Ana Zarina Palafox, a resident of Mexico City.
“She’s a great teacher, and the children are enjoying it,” he says.
Regarding the time and effort he puts into each trip, Castro says he doesn’t feel it.
“On the contrary, it’s not work if you enjoy it. I can’t go back to Veracruz as a tourist. For me, when I arrive here, it’s to contribute something. I don’t understand vacations in a resort, sitting without doing something. With this work, we’re not just transforming the children and they us; we’re transforming a community,” he says.
Note: César Castro wants to thank the unconditional support of the Santiago Delgado family, Betty, Jova, Xoco, and Acatzin, for their logistical support; Sofía Flores-Castro for tuning jaranas, his family and friends in Tlalixcoyan for the meals, and volunteers Martha González and Rosita Rodríguez.
