The American Heritage Dictionary defines "Hispanic" as: "of or relating to a Spanish-speaking people or culture." This therefore includes the people of Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, all of Central America, much of South America and others. The music of such a geographically diverse group can obviously not be summed up as one genre. The ethnic and cultural influences are vast, so "Hispanic music" can range from the Argentinian Tango, to the Mexican Mariachi band, to traditional Basque music, to the Brazilian Bossa Nova--the examples are endless. Although it is a blend of many genres, however, there are three specific groups that are recognized as primary influences on Hispanic music in general: Europeans (specifically Spain), Africans and the indigenous people of the Americas.
The word "Hispanic" comes from the Latin word for Spain. Obviously, much of Hispanic culture is rooted in Spain, and its influence on Western music and culture has been strong. Although it has many regional music styles of its own, Spain's strongest influences on other cultures seem to be styles full of energy with fast and sometimes staccato elements. This is seen in both dance styles (such as the flamenco) and instruments (the Spanish guitar and castanets), which originated in Spain but are widely used in Latin America. It is also believed that string instruments did not exist in the Americas until Europeans introduced them.
Millions of African slaves were sold to the inhabitants of South American countries. Because of this, the blending of Hispanic culture with the culture of the descendants of slaves has been strong. Many people of South America and the Caribbeans now consider themselves Afro-Latino. As Hispanic Culture Researcher (and poet) Rebecca Cuevas de Caissie says, "The African heritage has had an important influence on the Latin American musical styles in the Caribbean, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia and Ecuador." African influences that can still be seen--and heard--in Hispanic music genres are: call-and-response, interlocking vocals, various percussion instruments and rhythms.
The music of the Caribbeans is a blend of many cultures itself. Known globally for their complex and exciting rhythms and lively dances, the islands have produced some very popular music. Again, the descendants of African slaves were a major factor in the development of musical styles and other arts. The rhythms and music of the native Islanders mixed with a heavy African influence to create some very distinctive styles of music, such as salsa, merengue, habanera and jazz. A more recent example from Puerto Rico is reggaeton: reggae with a Latin flavor.
The natives of the various countries of the Americas have also obviously had a huge impact on the styles of Hispanic music. As Cuevas de Caissie says, "Certain types of Latin American styles show continuity with direct lines of original cultural sources." She lists examples of indigenous musical traits and instruments which have passed to current generations in one form or another, such as: a tendency to high pitches and certain percussion and wind instruments from the natives of Mexico and the southern United States; the repetition of short sections of music and descending melodies that were used by the natives of Latin America; and head singing and sliding pitches common among Andean natives in South America.