Mariachi associated with the group died in 1985. That the group still considers itself the original group comes from the notion of passing on the music by generations of musicians, how the original son jaliscense was learned. The promotion of mariachi as representative of Mexico has led to the formation of mariachi groups in many countries such as Argentina, Aruba, Egypt, Chile, Cuba, Spain, Croatia, Guatemala, Uruguay, Sweden, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, with groups from these and more countries participating in Guadalajara’s International Mariachi and Charreria Conference. The music has a strong following in the US, with top groups
El Mariachi a 73 out of 100 rating based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". "El Mariachi" won multiple international awards, and writer/producer/director Rodriguez went on to gain international fame; he was interviewed on such shows as "Sábado Gigante" and proceeded thereafter to secure Hollywood-backing for films such as "The Faculty" and "Sin City". In December 2011, "El Mariachi" was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Citing it as the film that "helped usher in the independent movie boom of the early 1990s", the Registry