I wanted to get some more experience photographing at night.  So, I packed my camera with an 18 mm fixed wide angle lens to force me to get close.  Then, I went for margaritas with a classmate, David Burnham (a professional photographer vs. an enthusiast like me).  He gave me some invaluable tips for photographing at night and put a bandaid on my flash to warm it up.  The bandaid trick was a trade secret that one of our instructors, David Alan Harvey, shared with us.  (I suppose when you're out in the wilds of Africa as Harvey was the week before Mexico, a bandaid is easier to find than photographic gel.) 

I went down to the main plaza, the "hardeen", and found a group of mariachi who seemed to be done for the night.  Their instruments were put away and lined up against the wall.  Two of them had jackets on over their suits.  I asked the man in the first picture how much to play.  (I do not speak Spanish, but "de nero?" seems to be a well understood question when posed by American tourists.)  I paid them to play a few songs for me. The drinks gave me a little push to get closer - I even bumped into their instruments with my lens a few times. They were in a circle around me as I took these photos.  They were very good.   The first picture is the lead guitarist & singer.  He was swaying back and forth to the music, so I did the same in time to the music with him to get this shot.  I wish I had had an audio recorder with me.  I had a great time!