SONOMA, Calif. – During Women’s History Month, the power of Latin music and the women shaping it took center stage in Sonoma and Santa Cruz counties.
Over the weekend, Lila Downs returned to the Bay Area for back-to-back performances, bringing a mix of tradition, activism, and celebration to the stage.
Lila Downs, the queen of Mixteca, brings the folkloric and ranchera music of Mexico to Sonoma State University. (Brennan Spark)
Born in Oaxaca, Downs has built an international following by blending Mexican folk traditions with jazz, folk, and contemporary sounds — music that honors Indigenous roots while telling stories of migration, identity, and social justice.…