Putumayo continues its 20th anniversary celebrations with the April 29th release of Music of the Andes, a collection of enchanting music celebrating the company’s Latin American roots. Traditional Andean music offers modern listeners an aural connection to the pre-Columbian era when this vast mountainous region was populated exclusively by indigenous cultures. In the 1960s, the sounds of the Andes were embraced by Latin American intellectuals involved in social and political movements. After the global success of Simon & Garfunkel’s hit “El Condor Pasa” in 1970, large numbers of Andean musicians facing political and economic challenges emigrated and found appreciative audiences performing on North American and European city streets.