 Because of Márquez's father and grandfather, he was exposed to several musical styles in his childhood, particularly Mexican "salon music" which would be the impetus for his later musical repertoire.He started composing at the age of 16 and then attended the Mexican Music Conservatory, where he studied piano and music theory from 1970 to 1975.Subsequently, he studied composition from 1976 to 1979 with Federico Ibarra, Joaquín Gutiérrez Heras, and Héctor Quintana .