ABSTRACT
The African presence in coastal Peru began with the Spanish encounter in the early 1500s and increased over the next three centuries. Afro-Peruvian musical development was a function of black exposure to the musical traditions of African, Spanish, and indigenous people. Though the link with Africa was reinforced with each new arrival of slaves, blacks in colonial Peru worked closely with the Spaniards, for receptivity to Spanish culture, language, and religion was the key to their social advancement. Interracial mixing and the eventual decline of the black population relative to others on the coast also promoted acculturation.
