In August 2018, Carlos traveled to Havana for four brief but vivid days. After a rigorous semester of graduate school, he felt an undeniable pull to commit himself to this trip. With the newly elected Trump administration casting doubt over future U.S.–Cuba travel, he carried a quiet urgency to see and document life on the island in case the borders closed again.

He chose to stay in Centro Habana, away from the tourist corridors of Habana Vieja. It was with deliberate intent that he immersed himself among the Cuban people. Centro Habana is the most densely populated neighborhood in the country, humming with unfiltered life. Among the weathered facades and faded pastels, the streets move to their own rhythm. Music drifts from balconies, neighbors call across doorways, and laughter echoes through the block. Daily life unfolds in plain sight and every corner frames a story.

This book is not a travelogue, but a portrait of place — an intimate study shaped by quiet, passing encounters rather than grand gestures. Through faces, gestures, and unassuming street corners, Carlos reveals a Havana suspended between eras: enduring yet evolving, expressive yet restrained, alive in every frame.