Because of the slave trade, African and Spanish music blended and evolved into the Latin American dance music we still enjoy today. However, over time, dances of other cultures made their way into Latin American dances.

Since we know that both African music and Spanish guitar music are part of the origins of Latin American dance music, it is important to understand how each of these music styles influenced Latin American dance music.

The people of Africa use drums in their worship. In ancient times, certain rhythms were created to call upon certain gods. There were over 200 different rhythms created for worship. After landing in the New World, the slaves were often forced to become Christian, so they would continue to use drums in worship, calling their gods Christian names so as to avoid being punished. Today, there are secret societies in Cuba that are keeping the ancients rhythms alive.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Spanish music was defined by the Spanish guitar. By the end of the 19th century, the flamenco style of playing and dancing was born. Flamenco is a dance where rhythms are tapped out with the shoes and castanets in the hands while the guitar offers accompaniment. A man or a woman may dance the flamenco, and often the rhythms are improvised.

It is easy to see how the hundreds of African rhythms and the fiery element of the flamenco can merge to create sensuous Latin American dance music and it is easy to trace the origins of Latin American dance music back to these influences. Other elements of Spanish and European music also made its way into Latin American dance music, as did some American musical styles, like jazz and even big band music.

Salsa is not easily defined. What is Salsa? A sauce, a recipe, a dance? Who invented salsa? The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Colombia, Republica Dominicana, Venezuela Peru? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances.

Each played a large part in its evolution.

Salsa has a pattern of six steps (when not tapping on the 4 or 8) danced over eight counts of music.

It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón, which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban people, which was a mixture of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora and a partner dance flowered to the beat of the clave.

This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most famous ...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there was more investment.

New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa".

If you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and you are going to hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha. You will also hear some old Merengue, built-in the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many of the old styles somewhere within the modern beats. Salsa varies from site to site.