Colombia: The birthplace of cumbia

Karla Gachet

Ivan Kashinsky

October 01, 2025 / 1:00 pm

This is part of a special series, Cumbia Across Latin America , a visual report across six countries covering the people, places and cultures that keep this music genre alive.

All dance was seen as rebellious during colonial times. The Caribbean coast of Colombia witnessed the birth of cumbia in the river system of the Mompos Depression, an immense wetland, and in a small mountain range known as Montes de María. During the colonization of America in the 16th century, thousands of enslaved individuals arrived from the African continent at the port of Cartagena. Forced to leave their homeland, they brought their music, religious drums and spirituality. These drums were also used to send secre

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