1988 in Latin music
This is a list of notable events in Latin music that took place in 1988.
Events
- March 2 – The 30th Annual Grammy Awards are held at The Radio City Music Hall in New York City:
- *Julio Iglesias wins the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for Un Hombre Solo.
- *Los Tigres del Norte wins the Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Performance for Gracias!... América... Sin Fronteras.
- *Eddie Palmieri wins the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance for La Verdad/The Truth.
Number-ones albums and singles by country
- List of number-one albums of 1988 (Spain)
- List of number-one singles of 1988 (Spain)
- List of number-one Billboard Latin Pop Albums of 1988
- List of number-one Billboard Regional Mexican Albums of 1988
- List of number-one Billboard Tropical Albums of 1988
- List of number-one Billboard Top Latin Songs of 1988
Awards
Albums released
August
| Day | Title | Artist | Genre | Singles | Label |
| 28 | Caifanes | Caifanes | Alternative Rock | Ariola, RCA |
Best-selling records
Best-selling albums
The following is a list of the top 5 best-selling Latin albums of 1988 in the United States divided into the categories of Latin pop, Regional Mexican, and Tropical/salsa, according to Billboard.| Category | Rank | Album | Artist |
| Latin pop | 1 | Soy Así | José José |
| Latin pop | 2 | Señor Corazón | José Luis Rodríguez |
| Latin pop | 3 | Un Hombre Solo | Julio Iglesias |
| Latin pop | 4 | Entre Lunas | Emmanuel |
| Latin pop | 5 | Amor Libre: 12 Grandes Exitos | Camilo Sesto |
| Regional Mexican | 1 | Si Me Recuerdas | Los Bukis |
| Regional Mexican | 2 | Petalos y Espinas | Los Yonics |
| Regional Mexican | 3 | Me Volvi a Acordar de Ti | Los Bukis |
| Regional Mexican | 4 | Canciones de Mi Padre | Linda Ronstadt |
| Regional Mexican | 5 | Super Bronco | Bronco |
| Tropical/Salsa | 1 | Sigo Atrevido | Eddie Santiago |
| Tropical/Salsa | 2 | Un Nuevo Despertar | Lalo Rodríguez |
| Tropical/Salsa | 3 | Historia Musical de Frankie Ruiz | Frankie Ruiz |
| Tropical/Salsa | 4 | El Baile | Wilfrido Vargas |
| Tropical/Salsa | 5 | El Original y el Unico | Willie Gonzalez |
Best-performing songs
The following is a list of the top 10 best-performing Latin songs in the United States in 1988, according to Billboard.| Rank | Single | Artist |
| 1 | "Ay Amor" | Ana Gabriel |
| 2 | "Qué Te Pasa" | Yuri |
| 3 | "Y Tú También Llorarás" | José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma" |
| 4 | "María" | Franco |
| 5 | "Debo Hacerlo" | Juan Gabriel |
| 6 | "Toco Madera" | Raphael |
| 7 | "Soy Así" | José José |
| 8 | "Un Alma en Pena" | Lucía Méndez |
| 9 | "La Ultima Luna" | Emmanuel |
| 10 | "Negra" | Roberto Carlos |
Deaths
- January 11 – Janires, Brazilian singer-songwriter, 34
- February 3 – Radamés Gnattali, Brazilian composer, 81
- July 18 – Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor, 64
- December 26 – Pablo Sorozábal, Spanish composer, 91