The culture of the Colombian Pacific is expressed through its folklore and history. The dances, music, gastronomy and even the way of dressing of the Chocoanos, Vallecaucanos, Nariñenses and Caucanos are strongly marked by the Afro-Colombian culture. In addition, this region is also home to many indigenous groups, of which the Embera community may be the most common. Traveling to the Pacific is, above all, a cultural experience, and interacting with all the cultural elements mentioned above will make any trip to this area unique.
The culture of the Colombian Pacific is expressed in many ways, but its gastronomy deserves a special comment. The food is completely different from other popular traditional Colombian dishes. And as expected, the fish and seafood is as good as it gets.
The traditional culture of the Pacific is expressed in the numerous festivals of this region. "Las Fiestas de San Pacho" are probably the most important and are celebrated throughout Chocó. But almost every town in the Pacific has a special event, for example Carnaval de Fuego in Tumaco or Feria de San Buenaventura in Buenaventura.
Afro-Colombians are Colombians of African descent. In the Pacific they represent a huge part of the population resulting in a very rich cultural variety, and probably their best expression is music. Mapalé, currulao and bunde are examples of typical folk music genres of African origin.
