Latin Culture 2.0

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Looking for YouTube clips of the latest hot salsa band? Want to find the best Panamanian restaurant in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Miami? Fans of Latin culture in the U.S. now have a handy online information source.

Remezcla.com is a unique cultural calendar listing Latin-oriented events in each of those cities, ranging from film festivals to book readings and concerts. The one-stop-shop source, which was launched in New York in 2006, relies on information posted by an expanding network of contributors and bloggers from around the hemisphere, and is powered by partnerships with Microsoft’s Zune and MySpace Latino. Remezcla’s comprehensive coverage is helped by its agreement with city governments to provide content for summer event guides in the five cities where it now operates.

Co-founder Andrew Herrera says the site was created to introduce second- and third-generation Hispanic immigrants to the diversity of Latin American contemporary culture. “The more you know about your culture, the more you’re empowered,” says Herrera, the son of Ecuadorian immigrants. “It’s cool for me to see a kid who listens to Daddy Yankee and introduce him to some funky Colombian electronic band.” He’s clearly on the right track. Remezcla’s success has fueled plans to add several Texas cities this year.