Remembering Genoveva Chávez, Fiesta’s first lady

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Genoveva Chávez, a Fiesta mainstay who was known as the first lady of the Fiesta de Santa Fe. Chávez was born into a musical family; her father, Henry Chávez, was a guitarist with the Rhythm Kings, and her mother, Ruby, was a vocalist for the band, which was popular in Santa Fe during the 1940s. Genoveva Chávez received her big break while working as a teenager at a soda fountain on the Plaza. It was there that she befriended Manuel Esqueda, the leader of Mariachi Jalisciense. Once Esqueda found out that Chávez wanted to be a singer, he invited her to sing with the mariachis the following year. For an entire year, Chávez practiced. She made her debut at 16 at a pre-Fiesta Sunday night performance. That performance was followed by her Fiesta de Santa Fe singing debut in 1958 at the age of 16.

A whirlwind career ensued for Chávez that took her to every major city in Mexico, where she performed with major recording artists Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán, Vicente Fernández and José Alfredo Jiménez. Though the demands of her career took her away from Santa Fe often, Chávez always made sure to be in town to perform at Fiesta.

“I love the feeling of making people happy,” Chavez once told The New Mexican about her nearly 40 years performing at Fiesta. “I love to go downtown or into a grocery store and have people say, ‘I’ve heard you for so many years and enjoyed you.’ Just to know I’ve been there so long — it’s a good feeling.”

The Genoveva Chávez Community Center, Santa Fe’s largest sports complex, was named in her honor following her death on Dec. 5, 1997.