Video: How cumbia arrived in Monterrey, Mexico
02, Jul 2026This is part of a special series, Cumbia Across Latin America, a visual report across six countries developed over several years, covering the people, places and cultures that keep this music genre alive.
Cumbia arrived in Monterrey, a mountain city in northern Mexico often called "Colombia Chiquita" (Little Colombia), in the 1960s, when DJs began collecting Colombian cumbia and tropical records to play at local clubs and street parties. They reshaped the music, creating cumbia rebajada, or slowed-down cumbia. This new style, along with Monterrey's fascination with Colombia, sparked an urban subculture that remains vibrant today.
This coverage was made with the support of the National Geographic Society Explorer program.
Karla Gachet is a photojournalist based in Los Angeles. You can see more of Karla's work on her website, KarlaGachet.com, or on Instagram at @kchete77.
