Cartagena is a place where history is composed, played, and danced. Music is identity. In every plaza, street, and neighborhood, the rhythms that have shaped generations continue to sound which are cumbia, champeta and mapalé. Each one comes from a different root, but all share a living blend of African, Indigenous, and Spanish heritage.
Cumbia and its African, Indigenous and Spanish Heritage
Cumbia is one of Colombia’s most iconic rhythms. Declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation, it was born from the meeting of Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans, and Spanish colonizers. Its triethnic origin is reflected in both the instruments and the dance steps.
The drums, especially the tambor alegre and tambora. Carry the legacy of African ancestry, laying down the powerful rhythmic base. The gaitas, male and female flutes, guache, and maracas come from the Indigenous peoples of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Their sounds are linked to ancestral rituals and the earth. The lyrical form, poetic verses, and traditional clothing reflect Spanish colonial influence.
The dance features circular, slow movements that mimic courtship rituals. In Cartagena, cumbia can be seen in street performances, festivals, and spontaneous gatherings near the Clock Tower and in the walled city and Getsemaní’s plazas.
Mapalé, the Rhythm of the Body and Resistance
Mapalé emerged on Colombia’s Caribbean coast as an Afro-descendant expression. Inspired by the movements of the mapalé fish struggling out of water, it is a fast, physical, and explosive rhythm.
Drums, handclaps, and call-and-response singing create a powerful collective energy. During slavery, mapalé was a form of resistance. Its intense movements doubled as physical training for rebellion, hidden in plain sight as dance.
In San Basilio de Palenque, mapalé retains a ritual character. Movements are inspired by the sea, fish, and natural cycles.
In Cartagena, the rhythm has adapted to festivals and cultural stages, but its original force remains in choreographies that fill public spaces. The body becomes an instrument of collective memory.
Champeta an Afro-Caribbean Sound from the Palenque
Champeta is an Afro-Caribbean rhythm born in San Basilio de Palenque and developed in the working-class neighborhoods of Cartagena. It grew from the connection between African music arriving through maritime trade, Palenquero oral traditions, and the social creativity of Afro-Colombian communities in the Caribbean. Its story is one of cultural fusion, resistance, and grassroots creation.
The picós, massive, mobile sound systems, have been essential to its growth. Since the 1970s, these towers of sound have blasted African records from Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, Haiti, and the French Caribbean, which were embraced and reimagined by local youth.
The instruments used in champeta reflect this modern fusion rooted in tradition. Drum machines, samplers, and electronic basslines form the base rhythm. Synthesizers and keyboards add melody, while vocals, sung in Caribbean Spanish or Palenquero, share stories of daily life, love, and community. Live performances sometimes feature Afro-Colombian percussion instruments, reinforcing the genre’s deep roots.
Champeta dancing is fast and expressive, full of hip, foot, and arm movement. It’s learned in patios, streets, and parties, where bodies respond freely to the music. The style reflects pride, spontaneity, and freedom.
In Cartagena, champeta is heard in the neighborhoods, at community parties, and increasingly in public shows and dance classes in plazas like Plaza de la Trinidad. Once marginalized, it is now globally recognized, and visitors often seek out the chance to learn it firsthand.
Experience These Rhythms Where They Were Born
During the Cartagena Weekend Music Tour, you’ll experience these rhythms where they were born and where they still live not on a stage, but in the streets and plazas of the city, in San Basilio de Palenque, and in the Bazurto Market. You’ll learn the stories, instruments, and traditions of cumbia, champeta, and mapalé directly from the communities who have preserved them for generations.
Cartagena sounds like heritage, creativity, and movement. This journey invites you to connect with Afro-Colombian culture in the Caribbean coast through music, dance, and community. If you have any questions about the tour, feel free to contact us. We’ll see you in Cartagena!
