The habanera genre became fashionable in Europe during the second half of the nineteenth century, inserting Afro–Cuban rhythms into European songs. The present article examines the presence of the habanera (or tango) in the Spanish zarzuela repertory, using significant examples to analyse its musical and dramatic characteristics. Three kinds of habaneras thus emerge: the habanera evoking the sea, nostalgia for tropics (especially the sensuality of tropical women) and, at the end of the century, a decontextualised assimilation leading the genre towards the tanguillo flamenco or converting its musical elements into compositional resources.