The Hispanic sounds of the United States.

It’s only recently that the “general public” has begun to realize that some of the most iconic music genres of the United States—such as country, Cajun, blues, jazz, and even rock—have Hispanic roots.

Louisiana is a major musical hub of the United States. Blues (and therefore rock), jazz, and Cajun music are among the major musical archetypes that the state exports to the rest of the world. And within these musical styles, Hispanic influences are present to varying degrees.

First of all, it’s important to remember that historical Louisiana does not correspond to the current southeastern U.S. state but rather encompassed the French route to Canada. These vast territories were incorporated into the Spanish Monarchy in 1763, during the reign of Charles III, and thanks to governors like Unzaga and Gálvez, the Acadians—French-Canadian settlers expelled by the British—were allowed to enter.

Although it may seem paradoxical, the French-speaking population increased thanks to Spain, as these Acadians joined the existing Creole population, living alongside settlers from different regions of Spain, notably the Canary Islanders.

Likewise, Louisiana already had German settlers, as well as a large African and Native American population, and also Irish immigrants who fled English anti-Catholic persecution and served in the Spanish Navy. This melting pot of people, later enriched by other migrations, explains Louisiana’s musical richness today.

Spanish historian José Manuel de Molina reminds us that in 1776, families from the city of Málaga and its surrounding towns—such as Macharaviaya, Cártama, Alhaurín de la Torre, and Mijas—departed for Louisiana and eventually founded New Iberia.

And Bernardo de Gálvez (from Macharaviaya) and Luis de Unzaga were both from Málaga. These men can be considered founding fathers of American independence due to the immense aid they provided to the American patriots—vital to defeating the British.

This southeastern region of the Iberian Peninsula has strong musical ties with Louisiana. As José Manuel de Molina tells us, “The singing style of Cajun music has some similarities with verdiales, the folk music of the Málaga mountains.”

Although Cajun music added the accordion—popular among French and German musicians—verdiales are structured like the fandango, which, according to the Diccionario de Autoridades, is a “dance introduced by those who have returned from the Indies, performed to a very joyful and festive tune.”

Between 1778 and 1783, settlers from the Canary Islands arrived in the Bayou region. Their descendants, known as “Isleños,” maintained Spanish as their mother tongue for over two centuries. Although few still speak this old Spanish today, they remain, especially in Saint Bernard Parish—an area devastated years ago by Hurricane Katrina.

Joe Falcon, a descendant of these Canary Islanders, recorded the first Cajun music track. Alcide Nunez, also of Canary descent, was present at the first jazz recording.

As Spanish musicologist Faustino Núñez teaches us, Hispanic influence is also present in blues. Jerry Roll Morton acknowledged to Alan Lomax in 1938 that this music cannot be understood without the “Spanish tinge.”

The connection between New Orleans and the ports of Havana and Veracruz, as well as the links between the ports of Cuba and Mexico with those of Andalusia and the Canary Islands, explains many of the musical elements that unify the Hispanic world—including major South American ports like Río de la Plata and Callao.

We consider the book América en el flamenco essential for understanding these Hispanic musical relationships from the perspectives of music, anthropology, and history. As Faustino Núñez says, “The singable fandango (rondeñas, malagueñas, local and natural fandangos) has a harmonic structure that curiously coincides with the blues.

In the fandango, you play tonic, dominant, tonic, dominant, tonic, and cadence. If I remove the cadence and add the major mode (with the characteristic minor seventh on each chord that marks the difference), I get the blues. The fandango is closely related to the music of Mexico, New Orleans, and Texas.”

In short, the syncopated rhythms of the Mississippi River basin are deeply connected to the Hispanic world—especially to Cuba, as a melting pot of European and African influences, and to Mexico, a key center of fandango, zapateado, and ranchera culture.

We must also include the Afro-Hispanic matrix that was born in Andalusia and is still preserved in the Brotherhood of the Negritos in Seville, a brotherhood whose legacy spread from Mexico to Peru through the Caribbean.

All of this reflects our world, and ultimately, music—or rather, musics—lead us through our path and destiny within a Hispanic identity that must be known in order to be loved.

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