A NPR visual series takes a look at the rhythm of cumbia

The tecnocumbia group Tierra Canela performs at the Mapogo Club, an LGBTQ bar in Quito, Ecuador, on Dec. 9, 2023. The female group, an icon of the movement, gained viral popularity across all Ecuadorian social classes with its songs and dance steps. Karla Gachet hide caption

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Karla Gachet

Once the soundtrack of the working class, cumbia’s simple, yet contagious, rhythm absorbed local styles, morphed, and reinvented itself. It has traveled underground through the veins of Latin America and spread throughout the world, from the remote villages of the Ecuadorian Andes to the bars of downtown Los Angeles.

It has become one of the most listened-to genres in the Americas^[1], symbolizing Latin American identity. Born from the cultural mix of African, Indigenous, and European influences, cumbia’s history reflects our own. Since its emergence on the Colombian coast during colonial times, it has accompanied Latin American migrants from rural areas to cities, crossing borders and continents.

In our bilingual special series, Cumbia Across Latin America, photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky take us on a visual journey across six countries: Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and the United States.

With the support of the National Geographic Explorer Program, Gachet and Kashinsky spent years on the road documenting the people, places, and cultures that keep cumbia alive.

The series features Picture Shows in English and Spanish and a curated playlist.
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