Once a bustling commercial hub in Havana, the Carlos III Shopping Plaza now paints a starkly different picture. A video recorded this week reveals the plaza nearly deserted, with empty shelves and stalls—lacking even dollar-based products—and only a handful of customers wandering its barren corridors.
These scenes, shared on Facebook by user Liena Lopez Delgado, stand in sharp contrast to the venue's past. For years, it was the premier shopping destination in Cuba's capital, drawing thousands of families every weekend with its array of electronics, clothing, home goods, and dining options.
"Look at today's emptiness. Completely deserted. This is not the Carlos III it used to be. They sold chicken, they sold everything," Delgado laments as she tours the establishment's floors.
During another part of her walkthrough, Delgado encapsulates the situation succinctly: "Two or three people in the aisles. Anyone who knew the old Carlos III knows it was packed with everything. Now, it's empty, empty, empty. Every day, we're moving backwards."
The decline of Carlos III hasn't happened overnight. As early as February 2025, reports surfaced of long lines to buy eggs at 1,800 Cuban pesos per carton, and by March of that year, visitors noted closed shops, poor lighting, and shuttered departments.
By October 2025, the center was described as silent and vacant, with significantly reduced foot traffic and a sparse selection of goods.
In January 2026, Cuban actor Ray Cruz shared an Instagram video lamenting the state of his childhood shopping center, describing it as "empty, with just a few kids on two rides."
By April 2026, those who recalled the center's heyday could only say it was "a marvel" compared to its current condition.
The downfall of Carlos III mirrors the collapse of the Cuban regime's MLC store model, established in July 2020 to generate foreign currency.
As this system crumbled, the government expanded a network of at least 85 stores operating exclusively in US dollars, leaving MLC stores—like Carlos III—without enough products to draw customers.
On February 5, 2026, Havana's government restricted shopping to local municipalities, designating Carlos III solely for Centro Habana residents, further reducing its patronage.
The broader context is a severe food crisis: 33.9% of Cubans went to bed hungry in 2025, and 94.9% experienced some level of food purchase access loss, according to a survey cited this month.
Originally reopened on October 17, 1997, by the CIMEX Corporation after extensive renovations, the building dates back to the mid-1950s and was among the first shopping centers in Latin America.
Nearly three decades after its reopening, Liena Lopez Delgado's video—amassing over 121,000 views in a few days—captures the latest image of an establishment, and much of Cuban commerce, headed steadily toward abandonment.
Carlos III Shopping Center and Its Decline
What led to the decline of Carlos III Shopping Center?
The decline of Carlos III is attributed to the collapse of the Cuban regime's MLC store model, which failed to sustain product availability. Additionally, the government's focus shifted towards expanding dollar-exclusive stores, leaving MLC stores with insufficient goods to attract customers.
How did the Cuban government's actions affect the shopping center?
In February 2026, the Havana government limited shopping to local municipalities, restricting Carlos III's customer base to Centro Habana residents, which significantly reduced its foot traffic and patronage.