Alberto Yarini y Ponce de León (5 February 1882 – 21 November 1910) was a Cuban racketeer and

pimp Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...

during the period of the

Cuban War of Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). The final three months ...

against Spain. Yarini was well known in his time, is Cuba's most famous pimp, and came to symbolize the concept of Cubanidad, the Cuban national identity, to many Cubans, long after his death. Yarini was born into an elite family, once owners of a

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

sugar plantations, with his father a dentist, and his uncle a medical surgeon, in Havana. He was educated in the United States, spoke fluent English as well as Spanish, and was politically well connected. He became known for importing prostitutes from France, and worked out of San Isidro, a

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

and

red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

Old Havana Old Havana ( es, link=no, La Habana Vieja) is the city-center (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of ...

. He was killed on November 21, 1910, by gunfire from rival French pimp Louis Lotot and his confederates, who had been waiting for him. Lotot was himself killed in return gunfire from Yarini's bodyguard. La Caricatura on the death of Alberto Yarini

La Caricatura on the death of Alberto Yarini

Legacy

Cuban composer Carlos Felipe Hernández wrote the 1960 musical theatre piece ''Réquiem por Yarini'', about Yarini's life. ''Los Dioses Rotos'' (''Fallen Gods''), a 2009 film by Cuban filmmaker Ernesto Daranas, was based in part on ''Réquiem'', and was a submission by Cuba to the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Yarini is the subject of an upcoming dramatic film, ''The Prince of Old Havana'', by

Cuban American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or t ...

writer, actress and director

Migdia Chinea-Varela Migdia Skarsgård Chinea-Varela (also credited as Migdia Chinea) is an American screenwriterK L. Billingsley "'Voluntary' effort shuts out TV writer Hollywood puts Hispanics in second tier," ''Washington Times'' March 25, 1997 and directorTayl ...

. In his recent novel ''Decent people'' (''Personas decentes'', Tusquets, 2023), award-winning Cuban writer

Leonardo Padura Leonardo de la Caridad Padura Fuentes (born October 10, 1955) is a Cuban novelist and journalist. , he is one of Cuba's best-known writers internationally. In his native Spanish, as well as in English and some other languages, he is often refe ...

continues his exploration of little-known episodes in 20th-century Cuban history by devoting a leading role to Alberto Yarini within a wider plot involving contemporary history of the island and featuring his detective Mario Conde.

References

External links

ALBERTO YARINI
at Find A Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Yarini, Alberto Cuban criminals Cuban pimps Human trafficking in Cuba 1882 births 1910 deaths Deaths by firearm in Cuba 19th-century Cuban people People murdered in Cuba Cuban murder victims