The Spanish-Latin pop duo Los del Rio on Wednesday won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, along with other popular artists such as Lucecita Benitez, Joao Bosco, Ilan Chester, Victor Heredia, Guadalupe Pineda and Cuco Valoy.

   Famous for their greatest hit song "Macarena", which topped the US billboard charts for 14 weeks in 1996, Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones, the two souls of Los del Rio, received the award during a private ceremony held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, which was celebrated as part of the 18th Annual Latin Grammy Week.

   Ruiz Perdigones and Romero Monge said that "it is a great honor to be recognized by the most universal of music awards," for which he thanked "from the heart" the Latin Recording Academy.

   The president of the Latin Recording Academy, Gabriel Abaroa, welcomed the winners this year and underlined that this award honored the "living legends" of Latin music, "all unique."

   Among other Latin American artists that were awarded this year's Lifetime Achievement Award include Argentine singers-songwriter Victor Heredia, Puerto Rican pop singer Lucecita Benitez, Brazilian singer-songwriter Joao Bosco, Venezuelan musician Ilan Chester and the Dominican salsa-merengue singer Cuco Valoy.

   In addition, Jon Fausty, known for his work as a sound engineer in salsa, and Lalo Schifrin, famous composer of movie soundtracks, also received the Trustees Award.

   This special ceremony is celebrated prior to the main event of the 18th Latin Grammys, which will also be held in Las Vegas on Thursday.