"Around the 1950s, the University of Buenos Aires welcomed foreign migrants, who could study for free. This attracted many music students, one of them Costa Rican Mario Castellon, who formed a group with two Colombians, a Peruvian and a Chilean to entertain at a wedding. Thus, Los Wawanco was born one of Argentina's most iconic and foundational cumbia bands. Over the years, other influences have come to Argentine cumbia, including but not limited to chicha and huayno tropical from Bolivia,"
"During the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 until 1983, many people migrated to the capital in search of better opportunities. This is how the Greater Buenos Aires area was populated, a kind of buffer zone between Buenos Aires and the rest of Argentina where migrants from other regions and countries found affordable housing. With the return of democracy in the '80s, dance clubs opened where communities and their musical groups had their own space."
Argentine cumbia developed as a hybrid musical culture shaped by migration and regional influences. The University of Buenos Aires attracted foreign music students in the 1950s, leading to ensembles like Los Wawanco formed by Costa Rican, Colombian, Peruvian and Chilean musicians. Over time Argentine cumbia absorbed chicha, huayno tropical, Paraguayan cachaca, Peruvian cumbia chicheras, chacaloneras and nortenas, and Colombian cumbia. Mass migration to Greater Buenos Aires during the 1976–1983 dictatorship created dense working-class communities that cultivated dance clubs. Many venues, called bailantas, were stigmatized but later reappropriated by cumbia communities. Cumbia became associated with migrant and working-class identity.
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