Lila Downs receives La Mar de Músicas award in Cartagena

Mexican singer‑songwriter Lila Downs was honored with the La Mar de Músicas prize at the 31st edition of the world‑music festival in Cartagena, Spain. The award, created by sculptor Fernando Sáenz de Elorrieta, was presented by the city’s mayor, Noelia Arroyo. During the ceremony Downs performed a set that blended traditional Latin American songs with her own material, sharing the stage with Portuguese vocalist Carminho and other guests while emphasizing the rights of Indigenous peoples. A multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner, Downs highlighted her three‑decade career of cultural fusion, and noted that she will receive the Latin Academy’s Excellence Musical Award later in November.