Nicolás Elías Mendoza Daza, born 15 April 1936 in Sabanas de Manuela, Caracolí,
San Juan del Cesar, Colombia, was a Colombian accordionist who became a
prominent figure in vallenato music. After relocating to Valledupar in the
1950s, he played with local musicians and developed his accordion skills. He
recorded with major vallenato artists and appeared on collaborations including
early releases such as “Tu serenata” (1980) and worked on albums like Todo es
para ti (1982) and El mundo (1984) with Diomedes Díaz, demonstrating his mastery
of the instrument within traditional vallena...