Beatríz Llamas made her name on stages across Texas and beyond, becoming the first Tejana artist to perform at Madison Square Garden in 1967.
But it all started with a talent show on San Antonio’s West Side.
At age 13, she entered her first singing contest, losing to another young West Side artist — Eva Ybarra, who would later become known as La Reina del Acordeón, the queen of the accordion. Undeterred, Llamas entered another competition, won, and soon launched a career performing on radio shows and touring nationally with mariachi groups.
More than 50 years later, her son, John Lopez, and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center are keeping her legacy alive through Voz de la Paloma, a mariachi and ranchera vocal competition.
Now in its third year, the event returns Saturday Aug. 2 at the Palo Alto College Performing Arts Building, giving girls and women a chance to step into the spotlight.
Known by her stage name La Paloma del Norte, Llamas rose to prominence in the 1950s and ’60s. Her voice carried her from San Antonio’s West Side to venues across Mexico and the United States.
But despite her success, she often faced barriers — as a Mexican American and as a woman in a male-dominated genre.
“She remembered going to Lubbock, Texas, where signs read ‘No Mexicans, no dogs allowed,’” said Graciela Sánchez, director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, a community-based arts and cultural organization. “They had to sleep in their cars, change in gas station bathrooms or creek beds before shows. There was discrimination, racism, and sexism they dealt with in a profound way.”
After stepping away from music to raise her four children, Llamas was brought back into the spotlight by the Esperanza center. In the 2000s, she joined Las Tesoros de San Antonio, a group of four Tejana artists who grew up on the West Side.
The quartet — Llamas, Rita “La Calandria” Vidaurri, Blanca “Blanca Rosa” Rodriguez and Janet “Perla Tapatía” Cortez — became ambassadors for San Antonio’s traditional music scene and joined the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster before disbanding after several members passed away.
When Llamas died in May 2023, her son John approached the Esperanza center with the idea of creating a vocal competition in her honor. That August, near her birthday, the first Voz de la Paloma was born.
Blanca Rosas, the last surviving member of Mariachi Las Tesoros de San Antonio, holds hands with John Lopez, son of Beatriz Llamas at the first Voz de la Paloma in August 2023. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report
This year, the event has outgrown its original venue and moved to Palo Alto College, with more than 30 competitors across four divisions: middle school, high school, adult amateur and adult professional. Beyond the prizes and exposure, contestants learn from Llamas’ legacy.
“I sit down and I talk to all the participants about my mom’s legacy and we read through her bio,” said Lopez. “I want all these young ladies to know that there is a history of female artists before them that helped get everything to where we are now and helped push it forward.”
For Lopez, the goal is not only to honor his mother’s life but to build something lasting for San Antonio’s musical future.
“I want the audience to really admire the talent that we have in San Antonio,” he said. “We would love it if one day this event was at the Tobin Center. I would love for it to keep growing. I want it to be the biggest, most awesome vocal competition in all of Texas.”
Voz de la Paloma begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Palo Alto College Performing Arts Building, 1400 W. Villaret Blvd. Admission is free.
To RSVP, visit esperanza.eventbrite.com.