The Cuban Bolero: UNESCO Heritage and the Universal Language of Love

Today is February 14th, and somewhere in Cuba — perhaps on a Santiago porch, a Vedado street corner, or beneath the Havana Malecón breeze — someone is singing a bolero. This is no coincidence. Cuba invented the bolero, and with it, the musical language of love that has captivated the world for over 140 years.

From Santiago de Cuba to the world

It all began in 1883, when a tailor from Santiago named José “Pepe” Sánchez composed Tristezas, the piece musicologists recognize as the first bolero in history. Born from the Cuban trova tradition, the bolero took the Spanish guitar, infused it with Creole sentiment, and created something entirely new: an intimate, slow song built on sophisticated love lyrics.

The troubadours of Santiago — Sindo Garay, Manuel Corona, Alberto Villalón, Rosendo Ruiz — carried the bolero across the island and beyond. By the 1920s, the genre had crossed the Caribbean to Mexico, where it found a second home.

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

On December 5, 2023, UNESCO officially inscribed the bolero on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The nomination was jointly submitted by Cuba and Mexico, recognizing that the genre belongs to both nations and to the entire world.

The declaration acknowledges the bolero as:

• A space for emotional expression and poetry
• A vehicle for shared cultural identity
• A living tradition transmitted across generations
• A bridge between communities and cultures throughout Latin America

The voices that defined Cuban love

The Cuban bolero wouldn’t be what it is without the voices that shaped it:

Benny Moré (1919-1963)

The Bárbaro del Ritmo didn’t just dominate mambo and son: his bolero interpretations of Cómo Fue and Hoy Como Ayer are masterclasses in emotion and phrasing. Nobody could turn a love song into a confession of the soul quite like Benny.

Isolina Carrillo (1907-1996)

Composer of Dos Gardenias, one of the world’s most covered boleros. Buena Vista Social Club immortalized it in Ibrahim Ferrer’s voice, but the genius was born in 1940s Havana.

César Portillo de la Luz (1922-2013)

Father of the filin movement (from the English word feeling), which fused bolero with jazz harmonies. His Contigo en la Distancia has been performed by hundreds of artists, from Luis Miguel to Christina Aguilera.

Omara Portuondo (1930-)

The “Bride of Filin” and voice of Buena Vista Social Club, Omara continues singing boleros at 95, proving that this genre knows no time.

Gonzalo Roig (1890-1970)

Composer of Quiéreme Mucho, one of Cuba’s most translated and performed songs worldwide, declared one of the Latin American songs of the 20th century.

Love in Cuba: more than just a day

In Cuba, February 14 is celebrated as the Día del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship). But Cuban romantic tradition goes far beyond a single date:

• The serenata: bringing troubadours beneath a loved one’s window remains a living custom in Santiago and other cities
• The Malecón: the world’s longest seawall becomes Havana’s most democratic romantic setting every night
• Love letters: in a country where internet arrived late, the handwritten letter was — and for many still is — the most sincere form of declaration
• The piropo: the verbal art of the street compliment, which in Cuba reaches levels of spontaneous poetry

The bolero today: alive and vibrant

Far from being a relic, the Cuban bolero continues to breathe:

• The Festival Internacional Boleros de Oro is held annually in Havana
• Artists like Haydée Milanés and the Interactivo project reinvent the bolero with contemporary sounds
• The danzón, the bolero’s close cousin, keeps the tradition of romantic dance music alive
• In the Casas de la Trova of Santiago, Trinidad, and Camagüey, troubadours still sing boleros every night as they have for over a century

Why the bolero is eternal

The bolero endures because it speaks of what never changes: desire, loss, nostalgia, connection. In a world of three-minute songs optimized for algorithms, the bolero takes its time. It’s in no rush. It knows that true love, like a good melody, needs room to breathe.

As Nicolás Guillén wrote: “The song of love, when sincere, never ends.”

---

Today, on Valentine’s Day, Cuba reminds the world that love’s soundtrack was composed on a Santiago street corner, with a guitar, a voice, and a heart that couldn’t stay silent. Happy Valentine’s Day! 🌹