Salsa, as a food, was created by indigenous peoples including the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans in pre-Columbian times using ingredients like tomatoes, chilies, and squash seeds. The term "salsa" was officially named by Alonso de Molina in 1571 after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. As a music and dance genre, salsa originated from a mixture of Afro-Cuban music styles such as Cuban son and rumba, with influences from Puerto Rican music and jazz, evolving mainly in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s. Johnny Pacheco, founder of Fania Records, popularized the term "salsa" for the music style around that time, marking its rise as a distinct genre and global phenomenon. In summary:
- Salsa sauce's origins trace back to indigenous Central and South American peoples.
- Salsa music is primarily rooted in Cuban musical traditions but was popularized and named in New York by Johnny Pacheco and other Latin musicians.
- Salsa dancing evolved alongside the music, influenced by various Latin dance forms, with no single individual creator but rather an organic development.
This comprehensive view shows that salsa has deep indigenous roots as a sauce and a dynamic, multicultural history as a music and dance form.
