Latin America Part 1 | Part 2

Calypso Heat Wave in Spanish

International Calypso Caribbean & Latin America: The Eastern Caribbean     Jamaica     The Bahamas     The Virgin Islands Bermuda     Latin America

In the course of the twentieth century, calypso gained popularity, to varying degrees, in countries throughout Latin America. Venezuela, Trinidad's closest neighbor, developed a particularly strong calypso tradition. Trinidadians and other Caribbean islanders began migrating to Venezuela in the nineteenth century; many settled in the interior town of El Callao to work in the surrounding gold mines. The town's pre-Lenten Carnival, featuring devil masks and other masquerades, continues to this day. Over the years, many calypso performers have been associated with El Callao and its Carnival. Trinidadians also established steelbands along the coast of Venezuela.

Carnival in El Callao Calypso in El Callao

Hernán Gamboa

Los Nikel's

Barbadian migrant laborers Panamanian calypso

Calypso is performed in creole communities along the Caribbean coast of Central America, from Panama to the former British colony of Belize. English-speaking Caribbean islanders were among the laborers who were brought to Panama to build the trans-isthmian railroad in the mid-nineteenth century and the canal in the early twentieth century. A calypso tradition developed in the country, with songs composed in both English and Spanish.       Next: Latin America, part 2

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