The one True King

Cuba was first visited by Europeans when explorer Christopher Columbus made landfall here for the first time on October 28, 1492, at the eastern tip of Cuba, in the Cazigazgo of Baracoa. In 1511 Diego VelÐ"ÐŽzquez de CuÐ"©llar led the Spanish invasion, subdued the indigenous populations, to become governor of Cuba for Spain and built a villa in Baracoa, which became the first capital of the island and also in 1518 [2] was technically the seat of the (Diocese) of the first bishops of Cuba.

At that time Cuba was populated by at least two distinct indigenous peoples: TaÐ"­no and Ciboney (or Siboney). Both groups were prehistoric neolithic, perhaps copper age, cultures. Some scholars consider it important to distinguish the TaÐ"­no from the neo-TaÐ"­no nations of Cuba, the Lucaya of the Bahamas, Jamaica, and to a lesser extent from Haiti and Quisqueya (approximately the Dominican Republic), since the neo-TaÐ"­no had far more diverse cultural input and a greater societal and ethnic heterogeneity than the true high TaÐ"­no of Boriquen (Puerto Rico). Most of pre-Colombian inhabitants of Cuba, including the Siboney, can in first approximation be classified under the general group of neo-TaÐ"­no. The TaÐ"­no were skilled farmers and the Ciboney were a hunter-gatherer society with supplemental farming. TaÐ"­nos and Ciboney took part in similar customs and beliefs, one being the sacred ritual practiced using tobacco called cohoba, known in English as smoking.

The TaÐ"­nos (Island Arawak) were part of a cultural group commonly called the Arawak, which extends far into South America. Residues of TaÐ"­no poetry, songs, sculpture, and art are found today throughout the major Antilles. It is well known that these neo-TaÐ"­no had metallurgical skills, and it has been postulated by some e.g. Paul Sidney Martin [[3], ] that the inhabitants of these islands mined and exported metals such as copper (Martin et al. 1947). The Arawak and other such cultural groups are responsible for the flourishing development of perhaps 60% of crops in common use today and some major industrial materials such as rubber. Europeans were shown by the indigenous Cubans how to cultivate tobacco and to smoke it in various ways.

Approximately 16 to 60 thousand, or perhaps many more, indigenous from the TaÐ"­no and Ciboney nations inhabited Cuba before colonization. The Indigenous Cuban population, including the Ciboney and the TaÐ"­no, were forced into encomiendas during the Spanish subjugation of the island of Cuba. One famous mainly indigenous town was Guanabacoa, today a suburb of Havana. Others were Jiguani, and Baracoa. Many indigenous Cubans fell victim to the brutality of Spanish conquistadores (as witnessed and lamented by BartolomÐ"© de Las Casas) and the diseases they brought with them, which were previously unknown to them. Most Conquistadors took TaÐ"­nas as brides, common law wives or as was more frequent had casual sexual congress with these island women [4] since few Spanish women crossed the Atlantic in those days of conquest. Their children were called mestizo, but the residents called them Guajiro, which originating in a Taino word roughly equivalent to squire has been translated as "one of us; they became the yeomen of Cuban wars neo-TaÐ"­no nations. Today, TaÐ"­no descendants maintain their heritage near Baracoa.

Cuba had first served as base for Spanish conquest of the mainland of the Americas, but the island was almost depopulated in this effort. After the conquest of the Americas the resulting treasure, mined gold and silver, emeralds, chocolate and several then important plant products such as dyes and medicine was transported in the Spanish treasure fleet from the Americas and later from the Philippines to Spain using Cuban ports as safe harbors along the way. In this period there were further indigenous risings most especially that of GuamÐ"ÐŽ, one of the last Taino leaders to organize resistance to Spanish rule.But once Taino/Ciboney uprisings were no longer a concern, new ones arose from buccaneers, pirates, and privateers (e.g. Jacques de Sores [5]), Alexander Exquemelin and Henry Morgan) and invasions as other countries (e.g. England GuantÐ"ÐŽnamo Bay) tried to take the possessions that the Spanish had gathered for themselves, and their colonial descendents viewed as their own. Attacks on both ships and cities required Spain to respond by organizing convoys to protect the ships and building forts to protect the cities. However, Cuba's most effective defense was yellow fever which killed off invading forces.

Spanish mercantilism caused Spain to keep Cuba relatively isolated to external influences, but beginning with the year long occupation of Havana by the British in 1762 at the end of the Seven Years' War, Cuba became more open economically to both the importation of slaves and advances in sugar cultivation and processing. The massive La CabaÐ"±a fortress, never taken by assault, which completely dominates Havana Bay was built soon after Havana, exchanged for Florida, was returned to Spain. However, the fortress would later become infamous as a place of execution and imprisonment, not unlike the Bastille in Paris. Cuban colonial forces participated in Spain's efforts during the American Revolutionary War, helping Spain to gain East and West Florida. Between 1791 to 1804, many French fled to Cuba from the Haitian revolution, bringing with them slaves and expertise in sugar refining and coffee growing. As a result Cuba became the world's major sugar producer, but by 1884, slavery was abolished after having been weakened during the struggle to secure independence for Cuba.

The colony's struggle for independence lasted throughout the second half of the 19th century with the first effort with any success being the Ten Years' War beginning in 1868 . The writer and rebel organizer JosÐ"© MartÐ"­ landed in Cuba with rebel exiles in 1895, but little more than a month later was killed in battle. He remains the major hero in Cuba to this day, and his legacy is claimed by both the supporters and opponents of the current government. While he expressed a preference for the U.S. Constitution and enjoyed some popularity in the United States, he was concerned about U.S. expansionism.

It is notable that some TaÐ"­no first fought the Mambi and then joined them to comprise the Hatuey Regiment [6]. Between 1895 and early 1898 revolution controlled most of the countryside and some towns, but the efforts of the Spanish, who held the major cities, to pacify the island did not cease until the United States occupied the island in the Spanish-American War of 1898. Cuban independence