Cuba is one of the most musical places on earth. Cubans were born to dance and have an innate rhythm of their own. Cuba’s mixed inheritance of Spanish and African elements is at its best
in its music. Much-used instruments are the African drums (batá, bongo and conga), claves, güïro, maracas and tres.
African influences have shaped the prevalent rhythm of Cuban music and dance. The rumba, for instance, originated in Havana’s black neighbourhoods more than a century ago. The twentieth century saw the birth of the bolero, habenera and danzón. Combined European and African dances created the son.
Later on, the mambo and chachachá evolved from the son and the danzón. Today, however, it is the salsa that is Latin-America’s best-known music.