Xóchitl Morales is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, poet, and community organizer from California’s San Joaquin Valley. Born in Porterville and raised in Delano, she comes from a family deeply embedded in mariachi music and community activism. Her father, a mariachi educator and composer, and her mother, a studio manager and organizer, founded a mariachi studio that has taught generations of students across the Central Valley.

Xóchitl grew up immersed in mariachi, learning violin, guitarrón, vihuela, guitar, and trumpet under her father’s guidance, with further mentorship from Javier Rodríguez of Los Camperos. Alongside her sisters, also musicians and educators, the Morales family has become a key force in regional arts education.

She spent nearly a decade performing with Mariachi Mestizo—her father’s youth ensemble—on stages like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, while remaining deeply connected to community-based music-making. She began teaching violin at age 12 and now leads Sonidos Unidos, a grassroots program that blends music education with discussions of migration, history, and justice.

Xóchitl’s creative work bridges art and activism. A published poet and Harvard graduate, she gained national attention as a teen for a spoken word piece on pesticide poisoning and Latina identity. Her experimental album, Descansos, merges mariachi with poetry and political commentary. Through ACTA and Radio Bilingüe, she led a community corrido competition, arranging, directing, and performing songs rooted in local experiences.

Now stepping into a leadership role in her family’s work, Xóchitl is committed to evolving mariachi into a platform for empowerment and justice. Whether teaching youth in Richgrove or performing protest songs in Poplar, she is shaping a future for Mexican-American arts grounded in memory, resistance, and joy.