El Mariachi gave special mention to director Robert Rodriguez and his ability to merge two separate genres of films—"the narcotraficante film, a Mexican police genre, and the transnational warrior-action film, itself rooted in Hollywood Westerns"—successfully "despite the constraints of a shoestring budget." The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: El Mariachi El Mariachi is a 1992 American contemporary western action film and the first installment in the saga that came to be known as Robert Rodriguez's "Mexico Trilogy". It marked the feature length debut of Rodriguez as writer and director. The Spanish language film was shot with a
Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea and Downtown Disney's "Tortilla Joe" restaurant. They went on to headline Disney festivals such as the holiday-themed "Viva Navidad". Of his choice to spotlight an all-female mariachi band, Freese said, "I try to give our guests something they won’t see anywhere else. The Mariachi Divas are great performers." In the meantime, the Mariachi Divas were experiencing success as recording artists as well. In 2009, with their album "Canciones De Amor", they made history as the first all-female mariachi band ever to be nominated for a Grammy award; they went on to win the award that year for Best Regional Mexican