There are numerous styles of Latin-American music, encompassing many countries and cultures. Much of Latin-American music grew out of a mixing of cultures and musical traditions including those or Western Europeans, Africans and Native Americans.

Jibaro Music from Puerto Rico
Jibaro music comes from Puerto Rico. It is a type of Creole music that grew out of the music of African slaves, European settlers and farmers and Native Americans. Jibaro music is famous for its central instrument which is the cuatro. A cuatro is a relative of the guitar but with five doubled strings. Jibaro bands also include a guiro player, who rhythmically scrapes the grooved, cylindrical instrument with a stick. Maracas, a shaker or rattle instrument in many types of Latin music, are also used in Jibaro bands.

Salsa music and dancing
Salsa arose in New York City from the immigrants of Puerto Rico and Cuba and their descendants. Salsa is a popular type of music and dance. The salsa bands are large, with a number of instruments typical to Latin music including horns, piano, bass, conga drums, bongo drums, and the salsa distinctive instrument--the cowbell.

Salsa dancing follows the music in 1, 2, 3; quick, quick, slow rhythm that emphasizes the swing of the hips. Salsa is usually a partner dance, but can be done alone as well.

Merengue Music and Dancing
• Merengue music comes from the Dominican Republic. A merengue ensemble consists of merengue of a guitar or the cuatro, a bass, a guiro scraper, a tambora drum and a marimba. The marimba gives merengue its unique sound; unlike the marimbas popular in Central America and Africa, this marimba is an instrument made of a wooden box with metal keys that can be plucked.

The merengue dance step is a simple two-step patter which consists of rocking back and forth between feet in time with the bass drum beats and the bass guitar or stand-up bass. It is known to be easier than the salsa step, but like salsa is usually danced with a partner and the dance can be made more complicated by turns and spins.

Rumba music and dancing
Rumba originated in Cuba and remains popular today. Rumba music is polyrhythmic, meaning different percussion instruments play differing rhythmic patterns at the same time, which produces a unique and interesting sound. Some instruments typical to rumba are the claves, which are two short hardwood sticks that are tapped together, the palitos, which are longer hard sticks that beat against the side of a drum as opposed to the head of a dream. Conga drums are also a staple of Rumba music.

Rumba dance is a partner dance based on the box-step similar to a waltz. The dance pattern follows the 1, 2, 3 patter of slow, quick, quick. The dancers can incorporate a number of turns and spins into the traditional Rumba dance.

Mariachi Music
• Mariachi music hails from Mexico where Mariachi ensembles of 6 to 8 members each playing an instruments. Instruments include standard European instruments such as horns, violins, and guitar. A unique Mexican instrument in Mariachi bands is the guitarra which is a stringed instrument related to a guitar but much larger. It is strummed rhythmically which creates a percussive-sounding rhythm.

Dancing to Mariachi music is more athletic than the other Latin music forms and is performed solo, most frequently by men who, according to Mariachi.org "skillfully drive the heels of their boots or shoes into the dance-floor, pounding out swift, often syncopated rhythms which complement the different rhythm of the musical instruments."