Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective was a Belizean Punta ensemble led by Garifuna musician Andy Palacio (died 2008), with The Garifuna Collective comprising guest appearances from other prominent Garifuna artists including Paul Nabor.

On March 14, 2007, the ensemble released, "Wátina", which Palacio considered to be his masterpiece. The album was produced by Ivan Duran at Stonetree Records.

Wátina became one of the most critically acclaimed world music albums of 2007. It was nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards and in October, 2007, Palacio received the prestigious WOMEX Award. In November, Palacio became the first Caribbean and Central American artist to be designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace.

On January 19th, 2008, at the age of 47, Palacio passed away following a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure.

The Garifuna Collective continues to release albums. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.