Editorial Letras Cubanas (cover design: Raúl Martínez; cover illustration: Rubén Iglesias; editor: Silvana Garriga; selection: Radamés Giro), "El Mambo," 1993. Print book.

"El Mambo" represents an important anthology compiled by musicologist Radamés Giro, exploring one of Cuba's most internationally influential musical genres. Published by Editorial Letras Cubanas in 1993, this book features a striking cover that merges the design sensibility of Raúl Martínez with the figurative illustration of Rubén Iglesias. The cover presents an elegant couple frozen mid-dance—a woman in a flowing blue dress and a man in a brown suit with red bow tie—set against a dramatic composition of a golden yellow circle on a bold red background, framed by horizontal cream bands and simple black typography.

This collaboration demonstrates Martínez's versatility as an art director, stepping back from his signature geometric abstractions to orchestrate a cover that celebrates the social and performative nature of mambo through representational imagery. The illustration style evokes the glamorous era of 1950s Cuban nightclub culture when the mambo achieved international fame, while the graphic layout—with its bold color blocking and clean typography—maintains the modernist sophistication characteristic of Martínez's work. The dancers' dynamic poses capture the sensuality and rhythm that made mambo a revolutionary force in popular music, bridging Afro-Cuban musical traditions with jazz influences. Published during Cuba's Special Period, this book represents an effort to document and preserve the island's rich musical heritage, using visual design to honor the cultural significance of a genre that put Cuban music on the world stage.