Andy Palacio-Garifuna Artist Extraordinaire

Ranked #3,877 in Music, #108,077 overall

Andy Palacio

Andy Palacio, a Garifuna singer born and raised in the Central American country of Belize, was a great musician who worked tirelessly to preserve and educate the world about traditional Garifuna music also known as "punta rock".

December 2, 1960 - January 19, 2008

The Garifuna

Never Heard of Them?

The Garifuna are thought to be the descendants of Africans who escaped from slavery in 1635, after two slave ships sank off the island of St Vincent.

The survivors intermarried with the indigenous Carib and Arawak of the island, and from those unions created the culture known as the Garifuna.

In 1797 the island of St. Vincent was attacked by the British, who captured and shipped the Garifuna to Roatan, a small island off the coast of Honduras.

They later migrated to the Central American mainland and disbursed over the coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras and southeastern Guatemala and Belize.

After a trip to Nicaragua where he noted that most of the Garifuna were losing their cultural heritage and many didn't know the language, Andy Palacio became focused on preserving the Garifuna culture. He accomplished this through the music.

Popular Garifuna Products

Include the Garifuna Flag iPhone Cases & iPad cases

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Efforts to Preserve the Garifuna Culture

The Garifuna Collective

Andy Palacio and his producer Ivan Duran worked together to assemble the Garifuna Collective, bringing together several generations of Garifuna musicians to create socially conscious songs of a more soulful nature; a departure from his usual "punta rock" style. Some of the best Garifuna musicians from Guatemala, Honduras and Belize participated.

The collaboration produced, "Watina,"the final album before Andy passed away after suffering a stroke and heart failure.

Listen to Andy talk about Watina.....

Amazon Spotlight

The Garifuna Journey

The Garifuna Journey

Amazon Price: $35.00 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

Andy Talks About the Garifuna Collective

The idea behind "Watina"

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The Watina Video

Shot in Dangriga, Belize

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Amazon Spotlight on "Watina"

One of the Best World Music CDs of 2007

Wátina

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

Garifuna Dancers

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Interesting Links to Andy Palacio, Belize and the Garifuna

PBS on Andy Palacio
The Ambassador of Punta Rock:Meet the hardest-working man in Belize's show business, Andy Palacio. Includes the lyrics to the hit "Gimme Punta Rock"
Belize Travel and Life
Interesting blog about life and travel in Belize, Central America--Andy's country of birth.
National Geographic on Andy Palacio
Artist Name: Andy Palacio Genre: Garifuna Music
Country: Belize
Artist Bio: Internationally, Belize's best-known performing artist and cultural preservationist.
The Garifuna World
Welcome to the Garifuna World! You are about to experience the origin of the Garifuna community, their incorporating process to society, their resistance to English and French Colonization and their deporting to
Rasta Hats and the Ras Tafari
Interesting facts about the Rastafari and the Rasta caps and Rasta hats they wear.

New YouTube vids

Hamalali Wayunagu Garifuna Folkloric and Modern Dance Co
by Catherine Soliz-Rey | video info

0 ratings | 20 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Some of Andy Palacio's Other Hits

Belizean Punta Rock at its Best!

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Reader Feedback

Do you have something to say about Andy, the Garifuna or punta rock?

  • WorldTraveling Apr 27, 2009 @ 7:32 pm | delete
    Thanks for leaving me feedback. Hopefully, I can add some more information soon![in reply to frsnz]
  • frsnz Apr 26, 2009 @ 5:20 pm | delete
    hey great job of exposing my boy, love every bit of it, it is educational and informative, keep the page going. love it.
  • Michele-in-Playa Oct 1, 2008 @ 5:49 pm | delete
    My family and I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Hopkins Belize and learned quite a bit about the Garifuna. My kids drummed with the local kids every night at the drumming center and we can't wait to go back. I will definitely check further into Andy's music. Thanks!
  • RentMyGarden Apr 29, 2008 @ 7:58 am | delete
    Cultural heritage preservation and documentation is important. I had never heard of the Garifuna culture, Andy Palacio or "punta rock" music. I thank you for making this lens and exposing Garifuna and Andy Palcio cultural music contributions.

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