Cuba Discovered

Many lands were taken as colonial expansion pushed outward in the age of exploration. European nations began to flock to the new world and the newly discovered lands in the east. Britain set up its global empire. Portugal began trading from the East Indies. Spain began claiming land in Central America. One such colony was Cuba, a small Caribbean island that would one day be powerful enough to garner fear from the most powerful nation in the world, whose history is marked by turmoil and rebellion.

Cuba was first discovered by western powers on Columbus’ first voyage in 1492. Three indigenous tribes were on the island, with an estimated population of anywhere from 16,000 to 600,000. These three tribes were the Guanahatabey tribe, the Ciboney tribe, and the Taino tribe. Soldiers and priests arrived on the island in 1511, and Indigenous resistance fell soon afterward. (1)