At the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Andris Padilla Julio, a Palenque percussionist and community youth leader, has an impromptu musical conversation with Alexandro Hernández, a Smithsonian fellow and presenter. Here Julio speaks in the unique Palenque creole, comprised of Spanish and African (Bantu) native languages.

Video: Sara Legg, and Kylie Shryock
Edited: Sara Legg