Mariachis Attract Biggest Crowds Yet

This year's at Mission San Juan Capistrano attracted its biggest crowd yet, with more than 4,000 discending on our fair town.

Officials at the also released the winners' names:

First place: Plaza de la Raza Youth Mariachi, Los Angeles

Second place: Mariachi Juvenil Azteca, San Diego

Third place: Mariachi Chula Vista, San Diego

Honorable Mention: Mariachi Juvenil Mestizo, Delano, CA

Thomas J Tracy Shining Star: Soloist Matthew Real, Mariachi Juvenil Azteca, San Diego

The event was sponsored by the Thomas J. and Erma Jean Tracy Family Foundation.

Laura Sobrino, who was first dubbed the "Mariachi Queen" in 1995 by the Los Angeles Times, served as master of ceremonies. In 1996, an NBC national morning show featured a segment on her as a pioneer female mariachi and as a positive role model for the new generation of mariachi musicians.

This year marked her third appearance as the festival's emcee, according to a Mission press release.