<P> Brazil is a large, diverse country with a long history of popular - musical development, ranging from the early - 20th - century innovation of samba to the modern Música popular brasileira . Bossa nova is internationally well - known, and Forró (pronounced (foˈʁɔ)) is also widely known and popular in Brazil . Lambada is influenced by rhythms like cumbia and merengue . Funk carioca is also a highly popular style . </P> <P> Many musical genres are native to Chile; one of the most popular was the Chilean Romantic Cumbia, exemplified by artists such as Americo and Leo Rey . The Nueva Canción originated in the 1960s and 1970s and spread in popularity until the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, when most musicians were arrested, killed or exiled . </P> <P> In Central Chile, several styles can be found: the Cueca (the national dance), the Tonada, the Refalosa, the Sajuriana, the Zapateado, the Cuando and the Vals . In the Norte Grande region traditional music resembles the music of southern Perú and western Bolivia, and is known as Andean music . This music, which reflects the spirit of the indigenous people of the Altiplano, was an inspiration for the Nueva canción . The Chiloé Archipelago has unique folk - music styles, due to its isolation from the culture centres of Santiago and Lima . </P> <P> Music from Chilean Polynesia, Rapa Nui music, is derived from Polynesian culture rather than colonial society or European influences . </P>

West african music and dance came to the americas primarily through