Disney mariachi director receives Walt Disney Legacy Award

Esteban Carrillo, the co-founder and director of the world-renowned Mariachi Cobre, has received the Walt Disney Legacy Award.

The award recognizes cast members who embody Disney's values of dream, create and inspire. 

Carrillo has spent more than five decades sharing mariachi music and Mexican-American culture. 

He started performing at Disneyland in 1968 and recalled flying in Disney's personal plane, traveling from his former hometown of Tucson, Arizona to Disneyland. 

"His influence spans generations, inspiring fellow musicians like Rene Aguirre Garcia, who grew up admiring Esteban and now performs alongside him at EPCOT," according to a news release. 

Carrillo continues to perform with Mariachi Cobre, which has performed at EPCOT's Mexico pavilion since its opening in 1982. 

In 2022, Carrillo was feature on one of the Mariachi Forever stamps by the U.S. Postal Service, celebrating mariachi's cultural significance.