Amalia Mendoza

Amalia Mendoza was a Mexican recording artist and actress who was nicknamed La Tariácuri after an indigenous leader of the Purépecha people. She began her solo career in 1954 while singing on the XEW radio station and soon became one of the most popular and influential singers of ranchera and bolero music. She recorded 36 albums and collaborated with many renowned composers and musicians, such as José Alfredo Jiménez, Cuco Sánchez, and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. She also appeared in several films, such as Una cita de amor, Yo... el aventurero, and Los laureles. She won the Macuilxóchitl Award for best female bolero singer of ranchera music in 1962. She was one of the "Tres Señoras", along with Lola Beltrán and Lucha Villa, who represented the golden age of Mexican music. She died of lung cancer in 2001, four weeks before her 78th birthday. She is remembered as one of the most emblematic and beloved voices of Mexico.