Azteca was a large Latin rock band founded by percussionist Coke Escovedo (April 30, 1941 - July 13, 1986), formerly of Santana, in San Francisco in early 1972. Escovedo brought in his brother, singer/percussionist Pete Escovedo, and another percussionist Victor Pantoja; singers Errol Knowles, Wendy Haas, and Rico Reyes; horn players Bob Ferreira (saxophone), Tom Harrell (trumpet, flugelhorn), Mel Martin (saxophone, flute), and Jules Rowell (trombone); keyboardists George DiQuatro, George Maribus, and Flip Nunez; guitarist Jim Vincent; bass player Paul Jackson; and drummer Lenny White. (Guitarist Neal Schon, another former member of Santana, sat in on guitar, bringing the total lineup to 17 musicians.) The band signed to Columbia Records and released its self-titled debut album in December 1972; it spent nine weeks in the lower reaches of the charts starting in January 1973.