To a Salsa Rhythm, Mexico City Celebrates Historic Link Between Cuba & Mexico
This article by Juan José Olivares originally appeared in the September 27, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
To the cry of “Free Cuba, yes to Cuba, no to the blockade!” and with good rumba and guaguancó, the “ Todos juntos en este barco” (All Together on this Boat) was celebrated with Cuban salsa, a dance that, at the Mexico City Museum, attracted some 200 people, who practiced their best moves to clean the floor of the Historic Center complex of impurities.
Responsible for getting the audience dancing were the orchestra Son 14, an emblematic Cuban group with a decades-long career, along with singer Briggite, an artist with a powerful voice, and another performer: Zoila Niurka Castellón, better known as Bombón de Cuba, a charismatic artist who opened the stage.
The groups performed with sonero and salsa dancing. The theme: the union of the two cultures and the start of year-round activities to raise funds for the An Oil Ship for Cuba campaign and to celebrate the centennial of Commander Fidel Castro’s birth.
And “quimbara, quimbara quimba, quimba quimbamba, eheee, mamá ehehe, mamá…” reminiscent of Celia Cruz, with this and others like El yerberito and Guantanamera, which gradually led to the formation of couples between women and men who didn’t know each other. The idea was to feel that magic that dancing to sonera music has: the good, rich rhythm.
Bombón de Cuba began by singing some delicious boleros to warm up the atmosphere. Many enjoyed it while sitting down.
Next came Son 14, a group formed in 1978 by pianist and composer Adalberto Álvarez and his partner Eduardo El Tiburón Morales, who performed songs such as Son para un sonero and Mala mujer.
Son 14 can be understood as a musical proposal charged with reviving the Cuban son and guaguancó with new arrangements, without losing their essence, as they demonstrated yesterday, getting everyone dancing.
After a few classics that lifted the spirits of the band, singer Briggite took the stage, showcasing a prodigious voice. She sang some classic salsa pieces, such as No le pegue a la negra by Joe Arroyo. One problem: the sound system fell short, as the backing music was heard at a very low level. Nevertheless, she gave it her all.
The Son 14 combo returned, and it must be said, they achieved success on radio, television, and dance floors in Cuba and its provinces, and later in Latin America.
Son 14’s music, especially the compositions of maestro Adalberto Álvarez, has also been recorded by some of the most famous exponents of salsa in Venezuela, New York, and Puerto Rico. This includes El Gran Combo, Elías López, La Sonora Ponceña, and Óscar de León, among others.
She returned with El cuarto de Tula, and the dance scene returned to its peak: it’s one of the most beloved songs among Mexicans. “Hey, asere, get dancing,” was the general chant. And obediently, the tibiri tábara crowd gave it their all.
They invited Bombón de Cuba to the stage, and the Havana and Santiago flavor continued.
“Shall we continue the rumba, or shall we?… It seems they’re already tired…” said one of the Son 14 singers. Immediately afterward, the rumbita and the che che colé resounded all the way to the arches of the building’s cloister. Everyone enjoyed the incessant rhythm.
They kept repeating the piece that can be played countless times and will continue to be danced until the soles of their feet: “guantanamera, guajira guantanamera…”
The party closed with the group’s percussion, creating, with many dancers, the sea viper, with a rhythm reminiscent of Santiago. “Viva Cuba!” everyone shouted.
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