In order to properly understand the interlocking relationship between cumbia's roots, its Pan-American (and then global) routes, and its subgenres, Colombia's geocultural complexities must be taken into account.
[7] To be more specific, its dance came from a coastal traditional culture, as cumbia had multiple ethnic influences that originated from this region.
The Spanish folksongs with influences from the indigenous caused the fusion of races and the elements of their cultures were likewise fused.
The expansion has led to the creation of new variations on the form, and international recognition of the genre changed public perceptions.
[12] The transformation of cumbia in other countries to better align with the taste of populations with very different aesthetic traditions from the strongly African-derived coastal culture[13] from which it originally emerged.
Representing cumbia being perceived as expressing the harmonious outcome of racial and cultural blending, this socially affected the public views on the region's highly discriminated mestizo working class.