What is Latin American Music?
The music of Latin America is as diverse as the countries that make up the region. Although descriptions differ, the territories generally include those in which a romance language is spoken primarily, such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico and Puerto Rico. French is a romance language, but Latin American music is most often identified with Spanish and Portuguese, as well as the creoles and other auxiliary communication systems derived from them. History Due to the lack of archival documentation, it’s impossible to know exactly when or how music emerged in the countries that currently comprise Latin America. Discovered texts, murals and artifacts indicate that the indigenous cultures living in the region when Christopher Columbus appeared in 1492 had been using musical instruments from as early as the 8th century, largely for ritual purposes. The influence of religion on early Latin American music continued after the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese, which commenced E
The music of Latin America is as diverse as the countries that make up the region. Although descriptions differ, the territories generally include those in which a romance language is spoken primarily, such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico and Puerto Rico. French is a romance language, but Latin American music is most often identified with Spanish and Portuguese, as well as the creoles and other auxiliary communication systems derived from them.
