Central American music
Central America is a region that includes
Mexico,
Costa Rica,
El Salvador,
Belize,
Nicaragua,
Honduras and
Guatemala. Music is dominated by the popular Latin musical trends, including
salsa,
cumbia,
mariachi,
reggae,
calypso and nueva canción. The countries of Central America have produced their own distinct forms of these genres, including Salvadoran calypso and Panamanian salsa. The most well-known form of Central American popular music is punta, a style innovated by the syncretic Garifunas who live across the region, especially in Honduras and Belize. The
marimba, a type of
xylophone, is perhaps the most important folk instrument of Central America, and it is widespread throughout the region.