In this project, I examine the relationships between the music of Latin America and the United States in roughly the first quarter-to-half of the twentieth century, specifically regarding the importation and exportation of musical ideas and styles from one to the other in the 1910s and ’20s, as demonstrated primarily through contemporary phonograph records. While various sources mention this somewhat in passing, it does not seem to be an area of particular focus, despite numerous examples of records that appear to demonstrate some kind of flow between the two regions during that era. Accordingly, this work attempts to illustrate the nature of the said flow as a complex, two-way exchange, resulting from a combination of intentional and incidental forces, such as American cultural imperialism on the one hand, and natural cultural diffusion on the other. To accomplish this, I consider a variety of sources, including (relatively) current research, as well as contemporary documents relating to the phonograph and record industry in the areas of interest. I also examine original records to the extent possible, considering my position as one not trained in musical genres; and I look at U.S. trade publications in regard to American attitudes towards Latin American music and markets within the record industry itself. The project aims to help draw attention to the interrelated nature of (certain) Latin American and American musical styles in the early 20th century and the combination of cultural diffusion and cultural imperialism/diplomacy that caused these relations.