HISTORY

In 2008, Pa’lo Monte celebrated its 10th anniversary teaching and playing Afro-Dominican cultural music, reminding the Dominican community of the legacies of resistance, joy and survival handed down to them, and inspiring others to recover their own cultural heritage. As a young man, Pa’lo Monte’s founder, Osvaldo D. Sánchez spent much of his time with his brothers, visiting the elders in the countryside, learning the percussive techniques of the African-based music of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as the stories of their arrival on the island. These experiences and the importance of preserving these traditions stayed with him for many years, and in 1998, he formed Pa’lo Monte.

ROOTS

The group’s name speaks to its origins and its purpose. Osvaldo chose the name Pa’lo Monte as a dedication to the elders he learned from, referring to their way of speaking (instead of saying “voy para los montes” – “I’m going to the mountains”, they would say “voy pa’lo monte”). This particular way of speaking is part of the legacy of the Africans who were brought to the island by the Spanish and has been integrated into speech patterns to create a distinct Dominican Spanish language. At the same time, the name refers to the Africans and Indigenous people who lived in the mountains, creating communities of resistance, ensuring the survival of their traditions. The name “Pa’lo Monte” is also a tribute to the spiritual-religious traditions of the Dominican and Haitian people who practice Vodoun and Dominican santería and believe that the mountains are a site of magic and mystery, a place where ritual and healing occur.

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