Orlando Carrió: The Last of the Costumbristas?

If you are a regular visitor to this site, chances are you have read several chronicles signed by Orlando Carrió—and if you enjoyed even one of them, it is doubtful that you did not become an unwavering follower of his work.

CubaSí had in this professor, writer, and journalist a consistent contributor within a genre rarely seen today: costumbrismo.

Sadly, his flavorful and richly seasoned texts will no longer appear. Just a few days ago, we lost this quintessential Cuban, Orlando Carrió (1954–2025), who had been living and working for several years in Morelia, Mexico.

Both there and in CMx, he devoted many years to teaching. Active in journalism since his youth—when he began working in Havana with radio stations and print media such as Juventud Rebelde and Opina—he continued his career in his new home as a reporter for La Voz de Michoacán and the radio magazine Primera Plana. Yet he never failed to send, punctually and faithfully, his contributions to Cuban outlets such as this one, CubaSí.

A cultivator of a witty and well-researched brand of investigative journalism, rooted in folklore, urban and rural legends, and the most colorful figures of popular imagination, Carrió managed to collect many of his vignettes and chronicles in successful books published in Cuba:

La isla del buen humor (2004 and 2014) and Los hijos de la luna (2013), released by Editorial Academia and Editorial José Martí, quickly sold out. The combination of Cuban humor, narrative fluency, and rigorous research earned him a devoted following.

As Miguel Barnet writes in his Words to the Reader of La isla..., “these chronicles, imbued with grace and Cubanness, go beyond the sketches that have historically appeared in our periodicals. Their author, though not always a witness to many of our traditions, captured their spirit and charm and rendered them with bibliographic support and references that, in my opinion, make them worthy of being considered anthological within the best of Latin American costumbrismo.”

Indeed, his writing appeals not only to Cuban readers but also to many across Latin America and beyond who are drawn to Cuba’s history and traditions.

The same can be said of his other book, Hijos de la luna, equally ingenious and rich in valuable cultural insights.

An undeniable heir to Betancourt Cisneros, Orlando Castellanos, and Enrique Núñez Rodríguez, Orlando Carrió delighted us until his final days with writings in which costumbrismo and humor consistently shaped his warmly welcomed pages.

His unpublished book Habanerías—some excerpts of which were previewed on this site—remains unseen. May it soon come to light, just as we hope its author now rests in it during his final journey.

Carrió stands as an unquestionable reference point within this genre in Cuba. His bibliography and journalistic trajectory will serve as a compass for those who follow. May the passion and dedication with which he explored the treasures of our island—aptly named by him “the island of good humor”—be rekindled among younger generations.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque / CubaSí Translation Staff