6 May 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Friday, May 5 is celebrated as Cinco De Mayo in the Hispanic culture. It is only fitting that the sculpture of Estrella Teresa Cuevas be unveiled on this day.
The life-size bronze statue is located on the 600 block of Kansas Avenue near Evergy Plaza. She will be the first Hispanic and the first Women statue on Kansas Avenue in downtown Topeka. Fiesta Topeka royalty will be selling authentic Mexican food during th evening celebrations.
Special guests include Artist/Sculptor Joe Skeeba, Mayor Michael Padilla, City of Topeka, local elected officials, and Investors.
Music and entertainment, by local young artist Layni Hernandez, Jose Cuevas, DJ AES360, and Maria Cuevas and Tess Cuevas will perform with Mariachi Habanero.
Teresa had always loved mariachi music. She grew up listening to this traditional form of music, which is most often played at church functions, weddings, and social gatherings. Mariachi music ranges from lively tunes to mellow ballads. A mariachi band is traditionally made up of a guitar, trumpets, violins, a guitar, and a viheula. At the time Teresa was growing up in Topeka there was no local mariachi band.
The original Mariachi Estrella group included Connie Alcala, Delores Galvan, Teresa Cuevas, Rachel Galvan, and Linda Scurlock. The group began playing for local church functions. They regurlarly made arrangements to attend a workshop in Texas. Over time Teresa Cuevas became the leader of Mariachi Estrella, which was the first all-female mariachi band in Kansas.
In 1981, Cuevas was severely injured when two skywalks collapsed at Kansas City’s Hyatt Regency Hotel where they were performing. Four bandmates and dozens of others died. Though never physically the same, Cuevas eventually rebuilt Mariachi Estrella.
Cuevas’ granddaughters Teresa and Maria carry on her musical tradition with their band Maria the Mexican.