Cajon drum---Origins

The Cajon drum is the most widely used Afro-Peruvian musical instrument since the late 16th century. Slaves of west and central African origin in the Americas are considered to be the source of the cajón drum. Currently, the instrument is common in musical performance throughout some of the Americas, the Philippines and Spain. The Cajon drum was developed during the periods of slavery in coastal Peru. The instrument reached a peak in popularity by 1850, and by the end of the 19th century Cajon drum players were experimenting with the design of the instrument by bending some of the planks in the Cajon's body to alter the instrument's patterns of sound vibration. After slavery the Cajon drum was spread to a much larger audience including Criollos.

Cajon drum---evolution

Given that the Cajon drum comes from slave musicians in the Spanish colonial Americas, there are two complementary origin theories for the instrument. It is possible that the drum is a direct descendant of a number of boxlike musical instruments from west and central Africa, especially Angola, and the Antilles. These instruments were adapted by slaves from the Spanish shipping crates at their disposal. In port cities like Matanzas, Cuba, codfish shipping crates and small dresser drawers became similar instruments. Another theory is that slaves used boxes as musical instruments to subvert Spanish colonial bans on music in predominantly African areas;In this way, cajones could easily be disguised as seats or stools, thus avoiding identification as musical instruments. In all likelihood it is a combination of these factors - African origins and Spanish suppression of slave music - that led to the Cajon's creation.

Spanish flamenco guitar player Paco de Lucía brought to Spain a Cajon formerly owned by Peruvian percussionist Caitro Soto in 1977 with the purpose of using it as a more reliable rhythmic base in Flamenco.In 2001, the Cajon was declared National Heritage by the Peruvian National Institute of Culture. In 2014, the Organization of American States declared the Cajon an "Instrument of Peru for the Americas".    (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caj%C3%B3n)

European Trip of GECKO