Merengue was born in el Cibao, the northern zone of Dominican Republic, specifically in Santiago de los Caballeros, as a transformation of the European counter dance with Caribbean and African instruments.  In its beginning it was rejected since every genre comes up and moves according to fashion.  By that time Merengue was discarding Tumba (other musical genre) by 1850 Merengue was on fashion.

Perico rípiao, a variation of Merengue is different to this one because it has another fundamental instrument: the accordion and it is played faster than Merengue.  Perico Ripiao is listened in the rural zones and towns.  Some of the artists who have made this genre famous abroad are Fefita la Grande and Fulanito.

We also have Street Merengue, another variation which is a mixture of merengue with beats of hip hop and reggaetón.  Nowadays this rhythm is very on fashion in United States in cities such as Miami and New York.

Dominican Merengue started to be known internationally thanks to artists like Hermanos Rosario, Sergio Vargas, Kinito Mendez, Eddy Herrera, Rubby Pérez, Tatico Henríquez and Juan Luis Guerra, this latter is known worldwide as the face of merengue.