ABSTRACT
This chapter approaches thinking about the variety of musical traditions in Latin America by offering four themes or lenses through which to organize such a survey. These include: mobilities; race/ethnicity; hybridity; and urbanization. A series of case studies is then used to explore these themes, which, of course, overlap and intersect with each other. Genres considered within the rubric of mobilities include tango and salsa. The section on race/ethnicity engages with music among the Aymara and Suyá, with European Art music, and with candombe and candomblé. Genres illustrating hybridity include mariachi, wayno, and vallenato. A final section on urbanization draws on forró, nortec, and cumbia as illustrative examples.
