All Cubans know the exact time Lola was killed. “It was three in the afternoon when they killed Lola” goes the famous song by Orestes Macías.
Although the musical success tells the story in a more romantic way, the truth is that reality was a little more passionate and violent. The original source that served as inspiration for the musical theme was the murder of a woman at the hands of her husband, when he found her being unfaithful with another man inside her own home.
The urban legend comes from the first half of the 20th century, when the cuckolded husband found the couple in the middle of the sexual act. It is curious that the sources do not agree on the geographical location of the events, the proposals range from Havana to Las Villas.
The truth is that at that time they spread and published many very similar news, gossip and anecdotes about crimes of passion, which makes it very difficult to locate the place or define its participants.
Obviously, popular slang attributed the scene and prominence to many famous figures of national culture and politics, but in two aspects all research sources agree:
- The woman’s name is Lola (Dolores was a very common name at the time)
- It was 3:00 pm when she was murdered.
- The event occurred in Havana
The story of the victim gained popularity when Ramón Grau San Martín, president of Cuba (1933-34, 1944-48), looked at his watch during a speech and, surprised by the time, exclaimed “Damn, it’s three in the afternoon, the time “When they killed Lola!”, the phrase became even more popular.
But beyond the violent end of the woman with her husband, the Cuban has related the story to states, times and erotic positions.
For example:
- The leaning forward position of an individual jokingly serves to warn him that Lola was killed in that position.
- 3:00 pm in Cuba is defined as “the time Lola was killed.”
- Being “better than Lola” refers to a state of maximum enjoyment.
- “Goodbye, Lolita of my life…!” It was the sporting expression of a famous Cuban commentator to narrate in a baseball game the moment when the ball rose due to a hit and was taken out of the field (home run or home run).
- The song “Lola” by Orestes Macías was another element that strongly contributed to the dissemination of the story, but as we explained at the beginning, a little far from reality.
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