El Salvador is a Central American country whose culture is a mixture of Mayan, Pipil/Aztec, Spanish and West African influences. Its music includes religious songs (mostly Roman Catholic) used to celebrate Christmas and other holidays, especially feast days of the saints. Satirical and rural lyrical themes are common. Popular styles in modern El Salvador include salsa, cumbia, reggae and reggaeton. Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... The adjective Mayan is sometimes used to refer to the indigenous peoples of parts of Mexico and Central America, their culture, language, and history. ... The Pipil are a loose confederation of Nahua indigenous peoples known for prehistoric migrations who currently live in El Salvador. ... The Aztecs were a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday that marks the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. ... The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... A saint is a term used to refer to someone who is a holy person. ... Rock Music article is a good example of actual music history ! Gives credit where deserved, Not biased oriented views on music !!! This article contradicts another Wikipedia article at this link under salsa !!! http://en. ... Cumbia is originally a Colombian folk dance and dance music and is Colombias representative national dance and music along with vallenato. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Reggaeton (also spelled with the Spanish accent as Reggaetón, and sometimes as Reguetón in Spanish) is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American (Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread to North American, European, Asian, and Australian audiences during the first few years...

Native music

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonists, El Salvador shared in the Aztec culture, and used Nawat related to the Nahuatl language. The largest group of indigenous Salvadorans were the Pipils; others included the Lenca (A principality of Maya peoples), Pok'omame and Chorti. Little is known about the folk music of these people prior to European contact. The beautiful music of the Pipil and Maya was mainly with drums, rattles and flutes. One notable Indian music group is Talticpac, which means in Nawat "above the Earth". With the coming of the Spanish Empire, European classical music and Spanish music mixed with native styles. The Aztecs were a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. ... Pipil or Nawat is the language originally spoken by the Pipils of western El Salvador and still remembered by some of them, mostly elderly. ... Nahuatl (pronounced in two syllables, NA-watl ) is a term applied to some members of the Aztecan or Nahuan sub-branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, indigenous to central Mexico. ... The Pipil are a loose confederation of Nahua indigenous peoples known for prehistoric migrations who currently live in El Salvador. ... Lenca is the name given to a Mesoamerican ethnic group linked to the Maya culture. ... The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America. ... The adjective Chorti refers to a people of what is now parts of Mexico and Central America, their culture, language, and history. ... The Pipil are a loose confederation of Nahua indigenous peoples known for prehistoric migrations who currently live in El Salvador. ... The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A rattle may be: bird-scaring rattle, a Slovene device used to drive birds off vineyards and a folk instrument football rattle, a noisy ratchet device for showing approval, used by sports fans. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Pipil or Nawat is the language originally spoken by the Pipils of western El Salvador and still remembered by some of them, mostly elderly. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... For many people, Spanish music is virtually synonymous with flamenco, an Andalusian-Gipsy genre of music. ...

Popular music

Popular music in El Salvador uses flutes, drums, scrapers and gourds, as well more recently imported guitars and other instruments. Cuban, Colombian and Mexican music has infiltrated the country, especially ranchera, cumbia and salsa. Bobby Rivas is considered one of the greatest experts of Salvadoran salsa. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... In archeology, scrapers are unifacial tools that were used either for hideworking or woodworking purposes. ... A gourd is a hollow, dried shell of a fruit in the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The ranchera is a genre of the traditional music of Mexico. ... Cumbia is originally a Colombian folk dance and dance music and is Colombias representative national dance and music along with vallenato. ... Rock Music article is a good example of actual music history ! Gives credit where deserved, Not biased oriented views on music !!! This article contradicts another Wikipedia article at this link under salsa !!! http://en. ... Bobby Rivas is an extremely respected artist of the salsa of El Salvador. ...

Political chaos tore the country apart in the early 20th century, and music was often suppressed, especially those with strong native influences. In the 1950s, for example, it was decreed that a dance called xuc was to be the "national dance", in spite of it not being terribly common throughout the country. The 1960s saw an influx of American and British pop and rock, inspiring like-minded Salvadoran bands, while the following two decades were dominated by a wave of popular genres from across Latin America, mostly folk-based singer-songwriter genres like Chilean nueva canción. Dominican merengue and bachata also became very popular. In the last ten years, Salvadoran hip hop and reggaeton has influenced the majority of the Salvadoran youth, which has formed groups like Pescozada and Mecate. The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Nueva canción (Spanish for new song) was a movement in Latin American music that emerged in the mid-1960s, taking root in South America, especially Chile and other Andean countries. ... Merengue can mean either: A style of music originating in the Dominican Republic; see merengue (music) A related style of dance; see merengue (dance) A style of vallenato music from Colombia See also meringue, a type of dessert (which is called merengue in Spanish). ... Bachata is a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural marginal neighborhoods of the Puerto Rico. ... Salvadoran hip hop (also known as Guanaco, Wanako, or Guanako rap/hip hop) is hip hop and rap music that comes from El Salvador. ... Reggaeton (also spelled with the Spanish accent as Reggaetón, and sometimes as Reguetón in Spanish) is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American (Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread to North American, European, Asian, and Australian audiences during the first few years... Pescozada is a hip-hop group formed in Chalatenango, El Salvador. ... Mecate is the name of a Salvadoran Hip-Hop band that despite its ephemeral presence, managed to leave a mark in the countrys media and music scene. ...

Salvadoran cumbia is related to but very distinct from Colombian cumbia, which is much more well known outside of El Salvador. Chanchona ensembles, led by a pair or a single violin, are popular, especially among the immigrant community in the Washington D.C. area. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

References

• Afromestizo: The Third Root – African Heritage of Central America

External links

• El sitio de musica de El Salvador (The El Salvador Music Site) – Spanish