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Accordions: From Eastern Europe to Latin America, with love!

Celso Piña and his accordion at the Museo Jose Luis Cuevas in Mexico City in 2008.
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Celso Piña and his accordion at the Museo Jose Luis Cuevas in Mexico City in 2008.

You can trace the history of Latin America and the Caribbean by listening to the music. There are a variety of drums and percussion instruments from the well-documented influence of Africa by way of the slave trade, to the way the guitar brought by the Spanish colonizers inspired numerous stringed instruments like the cuatro from Venezuela and Puerto Rico and the Cuban tres.

The influence of Eastern Europe immigration can also be heard in the way the accordion was adapted and adopted in countries like Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and beyond.

This week we take a deep dive into those traditions with our guide, Eduardo Díaz, former director of Latino cultural information for the Smithsonian Institution. It's a fun ride and you might even learn a few things. I did!

Featured artists and songs:

  • Narciso Martínez, "Nix"
  • Carlos Vives, "Hijo de Vallenato"
  • Los Corraleros de Majagual, "La Pollera Colorada"
  • Luis Gonzaga, "Asa Branca"
  • Grupo Alma Serrana, "Puerto Tirol"
  • Francisco Ulloa, "El Farolito"
  • Tatico Henriquez, "La Invasión de Deiziseis"

Credits

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.
Anamaria Artemisa Sayre
Anamaria Sayre is a multimedia producer for NPR Music with a focus on elevating Latinx stories and music. She's the producer for Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture, and the curator of Latin artists at the Tiny Desk.