# Los 600 de Latinoamérica

Los 600 de Latinoamérica. 600 discos 1920–2022 (The 600 from Latin America. 600 Albums 1920–2022) is a list of 600 music albums from Latin America, compiled by a group of music journalists and communicators from the region, and includes music from all countries, eras, and genres of recorded music, to celebrate Latin identity, according to the project's introduction. The list, created as an independent initiative, was published on the project's website from April 2024 to July 2024.

## Context

In 2021, following an interaction between Jorge Cárcamo and Cristofer Rodríguez (co-author of the book 200 Discos de Rock Chileno), both from Chile, they compiled essential albums for Latin America of the 20th century. Subsequently, a group of music journalists and academics from different countries in the region shaped the list of 600 albums that would cover all times of recorded history through discussions and internal voting over a period of nearly three years. According to the credits, a total of 19 people participated in the list, which includes the editorial determination of positions, selection of the 600 albums, curation, texts, and web design, hailing from Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Venezuela.

## Content

The list includes music recorded from the beginnings of the recording industry in Latin America in the 1920s (although the oldest album included in the list dates back to 1937) to albums released in 2022. It encompasses a wide variety of musical genres, ranging from rock, pop, rap, and electronic music to distinctively Latin American genres such as MPB, bossa nova, salsa, cumbia, tango, ranchera, norteña, vallenato, merengue, bachata, huayno, and various traditional music styles. Albums from all Hispanic American countries, Brazil, and the Latino communities in the United States are included.

## Reception

Billboard Magazine highlighted that the album "Re" by the Mexican band Café Tacvba, on its 30th anniversary, has received critical acclaim as follows: "To date, it has received accolades from major media outlets like The New York Times, BBC Music, Rolling Stone, and AllMusic, and was ranked No. 3 on the 'Los 600 de Latinoamérica' list compiled by a collective of music journalists earlier this decade, highlighting the top 600 Latin American albums from 1920 to 2022."
The Polish media outlet Beehype features an article by journalist José Luis Mercado, who was part of the project, stating: "The focus of the project is to celebrate Latin identity and its musical history, and it has mostly received positive reactions from the public, who appreciate the representation of Latin American music in such an exhaustive format. However, the organizers acknowledge that the list is also subject to criticism and debate, which they consider a valuable part of the process."
Dianna Rosa Pérez from the Cuban media outlet AM:PM highlights: "It was not like 'drinking a glass of water.' When deciding which albums would remain, the team in charge of the selection acknowledged the impossibility of including all of them, given the number and complexity of most genres. On the other hand, the fundamental idea was not to create an encyclopedic list or to generate a narrowly intellectual vision."

## List
### Albums of the top 30

| Position | Title | Year | Artist | Country |
| 1 | Siembra | 1978 | Willie Colón & Rubén Blades | United States / Panama |
| 2 | Las últimas composiciones | 1966 | Violeta Parra | Chile |
| 3 | Re | 1994 | Café Tacvba | Mexico |
| 4 | "Al final de este viaje..." | 1978 | Silvio Rodríguez | Cuba |
| 5 | Construção | 1971 | Chico Buarque | Brazil |
| 6 | Clics Modernos | 1983 | Charly García | Argentina |
| 7 | Chega de saudade | 1959 | João Gilberto | Brazil |
| 8 | Son Con Guaguancó | 1966 | Celia Cruz | Cuba |
| 9 | En el Palacio de Bellas Artes | 1990 | Juan Gabriel | Mexico |
| 10 | Dónde Están los Ladrones? | 1998 | Shakira | Colombia |
| 11 | Buena Vista Social Club | 1997 | Buena Vista Social Club | Cuba |
| 12 | Mercedes Sosa en Argentina | 1982 | Mercedes Sosa | Argentina |
| 13 | Buscando América | 1998 | Rubén Blades & Seis del Solar | Panama |
| 14 | Hasta la Raíz | 2015 | Natalia Lafourcade | Mexico |
| 15 | El Abayarde | 2002 | Tego Calderón | Puerto Rico |
| 16 | Adiós Nonino | 1959 | Astor Piazzolla & His Quintet | Argentina |
| 17 | Nuevo Ritmo...! | 1966 | Los Corraleros de Majagual | Colombia |
| 18 | Amor Prohibido | 1994 | Selena | United States |
| 19 | Ojalá que llueva café | 1989 | Juan Luis Guerra | Dominican Republic |
| 20 | Tarimba Negra | 1978 | Chabuca Granda | Peru |
| 21 | Canción Animal | 1990 | Soda Stereo | Argentina |
| 22 | Acabou Chorare | 1972 | Novos Baianos | Brazil |
| 23 | Alturas de Macchu Picchu | 1981 | Los Jaivas | Chile |
| 24 | Amor (Great Love Songs in Spanish) | 1964 | Eydie Gormé & Los Panchos | United States / Mexico |
| 25 | Rosa | 1958 | Agustín Lara | Mexico |
| 26 | Chavela Vargas | 1961 | Chavela Vargas | Costa Rica / Mexico |
| 27 | Samba Esquema Novo | 1963 | Jorge Ben | Brazil |
| 28 | Los Destellos | 1968 | Los Destellos | Peru |
| 29 | Camino del Indio | 1955 | Atahualpa Yupanqui | Argentina |
| 30 | Tonadas | 1974 | Simón Díaz | Venezuela |