And it's highly unlikely the 40 new awards handed out Wednesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles were created just to give Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera another chance to parade in front of the cameras (though that wasn't bad, either).

In fact, despite the various controversies surrounding the new awards ceremony and its intended purpose (marketing ploy or true musical expansion?), the Latin Grammys ended up all about the music Wednesday, as Santana and Mexican crooner Luis Miguel walked away with three trophies apiece on a night that featured stunning performances by some of the brightest talents in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world.

In a ceremony--complete with bilingual advertisements--that marked CBS's first-ever Spanish-language prime-time telecast and a major step for the nationwide embrace of Latin music, Miguel received album of the year honors for Amarte Es Un Placer, and best male pop vocal performance for "Tu Mirada."

Meanwhile, Santana and Mexican rockers Mana took home record of the year honors for their collaboration on "Corazon Espinado." The veteran rocker also nabbed trophies for rock performance by a duo or group with vocal, and for best pop instrumental performance, adding to his record eight Grammys picked up in February for Supernatural and "Smooth," his hit duet with Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas.

Describing oh-so-vividly what it's like to win, Santana said, "It feels like the first kiss, when a beautiful woman allows you to touch her tongue with your tongue...It feels very natural and divine and human." Um, okay.

It also marked a triumphant night for sultry Colombian singer Shakira, who, dressed in tight red leather, gave a jaw-dropping, gyrating rendition of "Ojos As?," and took home awards for best female vocal and best female rock performance. And Marc Anthony, who skipped the awards because of complications with his wife's pregnancy, received the songwriting record of the year award for "Dimelo (I Need to Know)."

Other big winners Wednesday included Gloria Estefan's husband, Emilio, who was honored as producer of the year, and Argentine rocker Fito Paez and Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra, who won two trophies each. And, proving it's never too late to make a splash, the night's best new artist award went to Ibrahim Ferrer, a Cuban singer in his 70s who gained prominence for his work on the Buena Vista Social Club album.

Among Wednesday night's musical highlights: Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Celia Cruz shared the stage for a rousing tribute to late mambo king Tito Puente, who died in June and received posthumous honors for best tropical performance. 'N Sync showed their romance language skills in a Spanish-speaking duet with another pop group, Son by Four.

And Aguilera, apparently fully recuperated from laryngitis after canceling concerts earlier this week, offered up a passionate salsa-style rendition of her U.S. pop hit "Genie in a Bottle." This week, the teen pop queen also released her first Spanish-language album, Mi Reflejo.

The awards were not without complications. Some critics had derided the show for everything from segregating Latin music from the traditional Grammys, to playing favorites with the nominations. Latin music label Fonovisa even snubbed the ceremony, protesting what label execs said was a bias against Mexican regional music, leaning instead toward Latin artists on Sony's label, including Emilio Estefan. But Estefan said the awards should serve to unite the different genres.

"This is a celebration for the Spanish community," Estefan told reporters. "Now we are making big progress and people are definitely starting to accept new sounds, new music and new fashion."

complete list of winners