Los Muñequitos de Matanzas

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Los Muñequitos de Matanzas is a Cuban rumba band. It has been described by many as one of the most important such groups in Cuba. The group formed under the name "Guaguancó Matancero" in 1952, in Barrio Marina, Matanzas, Cuba. Their first record included the song "Los muñequitos en la calle"; a song which was based on comic strips in Cuba. Such was the popularity of this record that the public changed the name of the group to "Los muñequitos" (literally "little dolls", Cuban slang for cartoons). Three generations of the same family are represented in the band.

Los Muñequitos de Matanzas has been instrumental in the preservation of African traditions such as the secret society of the Abakuá and the Lukumí belief system (see Santeria), while simultaneously looking to their Spanish heritage for inspiration. The music of Los Muñequitos directly reflects the syncretism that exists in Cuba as sacred songs to the orishas often coexist with more secular themes and adaptations of Spanish songs in a single record or performance. Los Muñequitos received a Grammy Award Nomination in 2001.