Adhiriéndose al modelo histórico-romántico de Alejandro Manzoni, Cirilo Villaverde sigue con fidelidad la estructura narrativa de I Promessi Sposi en Cecilia Valdés. Sin embargo, el racismo y la dependencia colonial de Cuba son factores que ponen en crisis la validez del modelo central y proporcionan la particularidad del discurso latinoamericanista. Closely adhering to the romantic model set by Alessandro Manzoni, Cirilo Villaverde follows with consistency the narrative structure of "I Promessi Sposi" in Cecilia Valdés. However, racism and the colonial dependency of Cuba are factors which call in question the validity of the central model and establish the particularity of the Latin American discourse.