Je sporné, jestli salsa vznikla na Kubě nebo Portoriku. Salsa, tak jak se tancuje dnes, je odvozena od tance Cuba son, ale byla ovlivněna i mnoha dalšími kubánskými tanci jako je Mambo, Guaracha, Changui, Rumba, Yamba, Comparsa atd.
It is unclear if salsa originated from Cuba or Puerto Rico. Salsa, as we dance it today, is derived from Cuba son, but was influenced by other Cuban dances like, Mambo, Guaracha, Changui, Rumba, Yamba, Comprasa, etc.