The following article analyzes the centrality that rhythm acquires in the novel Toques de Son Colorá (2020) by the Colombian writer Adelaida Fernández Ochoa. The objective is to demonstrate that the relevance of this component arises linked to the oral tradition, which in turn is linked to the ancestral African roots present both in the biography of the author and throughout the American continent, so they permeate the entire narrative. Specifically, the relevance of the musical genre of salsa along with other Caribbean rhythms within the plot of the novel will be addressed as examples of the presence of that ancestral heritage in the contemporary context of the work. At the same time, this analysis will be guided mainly by the studies on this component developed by the Peruvian researcher Victoria Santa Cruz Gamarra, together with various Afro-centered theoretical proposals that addre...