This is part of a special series, Cumbia across Latin Americaa visual report across six countries developed over several years, covering the people, places and cultures that keep this musical genre alive.
Cumbia arrived in Monterrey, a mountain town in northern Mexico often called “Colombia Chiquita” (Little Colombia), in the 1960s when DJs began collecting Colombian cumbia and tropical records to play at local clubs and street parties. They reshaped the music, creating cumbia rebajada, or slowed-down cumbia. This new style, along with Monterrey’s fascination with Colombia, sparked an urban subculture that remains vibrant today.
This cover was produced with support from the National Geographic Society’s Explorer program.
Karla Gachet is a photojournalist based in Los Angeles. You can see more of Karla’s work on her website, KarlaGachet.comor on Instagram at @kchete77.
