Wednesday, February 11, 2026 · Phoenix

Marimba & Mate: Jesus “Chuy” Gonzalez-Medina’s Playlist

Curiosity has always guided Jesus “Chuy” Gonzalez-Medina’s trajectory as a musician and xenophile of Latin American sounds and flavors.

Gonzalez-Medina, 20, has performed music since he took up the guitar in grade school. He became a mariachi in middle-school after he wondered aloud to a teacher where the “beefy bass” sound came from in the mariachi music he heard his parents play at home. That’s when his journey as a guitarrón player began.

His interest in the sounds and traditions of Latin America has filled his music room with instruments from the region and a thermos for hot water for his beverage of choice, mate. ​Among the instruments in his collection are a marimba from Guatemala and a Quena flute from Peru.

In high school, he got hooked on the salsa sounds of Puerto Rico’s El Gran Combo. That music was a departure from the mariachi, norteno, cumbia, and rock en español he heard at home. That was the beginning of an exploration of music from places like Guatemala, Peru, Paraguay, and Argentina. He said that his appreciation for music from these places “shaped the folklore musician side I am today, and I am really proud of it!”

Since he graduated from high school, Gonzalez-Medina has continued performing with mariachi groups around Phoenix. These days, he juggles work at an Amazon warehouse and music education studies. He said that one day, in addition to performing, he would enjoy teaching and helping others find their own joy in it.

​His enthusiasm for mate originated from seeing the host of a TikTok channel tout the health benefits of the ritual preparation of the bitter, caffeinated infusion made with hot water and yerba mate.

“The way he was preparing it and mentioning that it comes from South America, specifically the countries of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brasil caught my attention immediately,” said Gonzalez-Medina. “For me, being that type of person who loves to explore different cultures, music, food, and such outside my Mexican culture, I decided to try his beginner’s Yerba Mate kit.”

Gonzalez-Medina hopes that listeners will enjoy selections from genres they are already familiar with and stick around for songs from genres they may not be. One selection could be a Bad Bunny hit, while the next song in the queue might feature harp from Paraguay or marimba from Guatemala, “playing some groovy cumbias,” he said.

“I want the listeners to get the same feeling I got about four years ago when I began experiencing these different sounds of instruments and music from these countries.”