Sarah Birke (Bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, The Economist) writes about the impact of Latin American culture, “from music to books, and from films to podcasts.” Here are excerpts that include Caribbean-infused artists, letters, and rhythms, such as Art Basel Miami Beach, Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny, Gabriel García Márquez (with his undoubtedly Caribbean standpoint), Karol G, and reggaeton. [In Birke’s mention of Latin American artists at the Venice Biennale, I would have added the crucial positioning of Pablo Delano’s exhibition “The Museum of the Old Colony” and Julien Creuzet’s “Attila cataracte…” in the France Pavilion in 2024, among other Caribbean and Latin American artists!] Read or listen to the full article at The Economist.
Soundtracks, screens and bookshelves will feature a Latin American flavour in 2026. The region’s cultural industries, once thought peripheral, have become central to global entertainment. From Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny and Mexico’s Peso Pluma topping charts in the United States to Netflix pouring billions into Mexican productions, the region’s artists are winning audiences among Latin Americans, Hispanics in the United States and beyond.
Latin America is no newcomer to the exporting of culture. The novels of Gabriel García Márquez, a Colombian, and Mario Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian, enchanted readers in the 20th century. The “three amigos” of Mexican cinema—Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón—have long been fixtures at the Oscars. [. . .]
[. . .] Language learning is amplifying the effect. More than half a billion people are native Spanish speakers, and interest is growing elsewhere. When a Latin American song goes global, language apps report a surge in new Spanish learners.
[. . .] Governments are helping in some places. Brazil reinstated rules in 2024 that oblige cinemas to show Brazilian films for a set number of days each year. In 2025 “I’m Still Here”wontheBest International Feature Film at the Oscars, the first Brazilian-produced film to do so.
Latin musicians will find even more success in 2026. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry says Latin America was one of the fastest-growing recorded-music markets in 2024. Latin music generated $1.4bn in sales in the United States that year, with regional Mexican music now the most lucrative sub-genre. Bad Bunny is a global star and will play the half-time slot at February’s Super Bowl (much to Donald Trump’s chagrin). The likes of Peso Pluma, Karol G and Bizarrap are reliable hit-makers. And Anglophone pop will be on the receiving end, too: the three-three-two tresillo rhythm of reggaeton has seeped into hits of artists such as Ed Sheeran, a British singer-songwriter.
Books are joining the surge. Latin American authors are winning more prizes and being translated by publishers in Spain and the United States, who are eager to capture new voices. Mexico’s Fernanda Melchor and Cristina Rivera Garza have already found international acclaim. Mariana Enríquez, an Argentine writer of gothic tales, has gained a global reputation. [. . .]
Visual art from the region is gaining fresh momentum, too. Museums in New York, London and Madrid are devoting more space to Latin America, and Art Basel Miami Beach has become a showcase for its galleries. Younger names such as Oscar Murillo, Adriana Varejão and Tania Candiani are joining global circuits like the Venice Biennale. [. . .]
For full article, see https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2025/11/12/the-culture-of-latin-america-will-continue-its-global-rise (a subscription may be necessary)
Sarah Birke (Bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, The Economist) writes about the impact of Latin American culture, “from music to books, and from films to podcasts.” Here are excerpts that include Caribbean-infused artists, letters, and rhythms, such as Art Basel Miami Beach, Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny, Gabriel García Márquez (with his
