EGREM/Areito (cover designer: Pablo Labañino, director: Gregorio Díaz, producer: María Teresa Linares), "Los Muñequitos de Matanzas," ca. 1970s. Offset print, vinyl LP

The cover design by Pablo Labañino presents a dynamic close-up photograph of traditional Cuban puppets or dolls rendered in vivid red and pink tones with blue accents, framed by bold orange borders. The playful, curved blue typography spelling "muñequitos" and "matanzas" mirrors the theatrical, folkloric nature of the group's performances. The composition captures the energy and movement of Afro-Cuban rumba culture through its vibrant color palette and photographic immediacy, while the puppet imagery references both the group's name and the theatrical elements integral to rumba performance.

Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, founded in 1952, is one of Cuba's most important and influential rumba groups, preserving and innovating within the Afro-Cuban rumba tradition. Under the direction of Gregorio Díaz and produced by ethnomusicologist María Teresa Linares, this album features guaguancó and yambú performances that showcase the group's mastery of percussion, call-and-response vocals, and dance. The ensemble played a crucial role in maintaining the rumba tradition during the revolutionary period, elevating this working-class Afro-Cuban art form to national and international prominence while documenting its complex polyrhythmic structures and cultural significance.