This album is a companion to the documentary film Que Caramba Es La Vida, which follows the lives of women that play mariachi in Mexico City. Las Pioneras de Mexico are a group of venerable musicians who have been playing mariachi and ranchera since the 1950s. Maria del Carmen has spent her life living on the edge of the iconic Plaza Garibaldi and has been singing in the plaza since childhood, one of the few women to perform in the very macho environment of mariachi in Mexico City.

In 2013, Germany's premier female film director, Doris Dorrie, camped out with her crew for eight weeks at Plaza Garibaldi, the heart of mariachi in Mexico City. Intrigued by the women playing in the square, she filmed Que Caramba Es La Vida, dedicated to these artists who persevere, playing and singing mariachi and ranchera, despite all odds.

Soon after the film was completed, Rachel Faro went to Mexico City and, along with famed mariachi scholar/musician, the late Laura Sobrino Garciacano, produced this album with the women who appear in the film. For Maria del Carmen, it was her very first recording session, and she immediately took to the studio like an experienced pro. For Las Pioneras de Mexico, it was a return to the professional lives they had since the 1950s. Some of Mexico City's best violin and trumpet players helped round out the sound, along with award-winning engineer Alejandro Colinas behind the board.