Articles

Lydia Mendoza was a pioneer of Música Tejana, a rich hybrid of conjunto, rancheras, and other styles that captured the passions and heartaches of border life. No matter the song style, Mendoza once said, "When I sing that song, I live that song."

Nicknamed the "Lark of the Border," Mendoza recorded hundreds of songs and performed for large audiences throughout the United States, Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia. In 1982, she became the first Texan awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship for lifetime achievement. She was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame in 1984 and awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 1999. More»