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Spanish Conquest of Cuba

Type Event Region Caribbean Time 1511–1514

In 1511, commissioned by Diego Columbus, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar led about three hundred Spanish colonists across from Hispaniola and landed in ea…

Timeline

  1. c. 1511Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic/Haiti) · HispaniolaDiego Columbus authorized Velázquez to lead an expedition to Cuba with three or four ships and about three hundred men. The expedition set out from Hispaniola, its members including Pánfilo de Narváez and Hernán Cortés, with the goal of conquering and colonizing the island.
  2. 1511Mayabí (near present-day Baracoa) · Oriente ProvinceThe Spanish landed in Mayabí Province in eastern Cuba and immediately encountered Taíno resistance. The exiled chief Hatuey came from Hispaniola to aid the resistance, organizing local tribes against the invaders. After about two months of intermittent fighting, Spanish firearms and cavalry gained the upper hand.
  3. 1511Eastern Cuba · CubaHatuey was captured and, according to Bartolomé de las Casas, burned at the stake. After the main Taíno resistance collapsed, Narváez led forces across the entire island, while Velázquez gradually advanced westward and established colonial rule.
  4. 1511–1514Baracoa · Oriente ProvinceAfter the conquest, Spain successively founded towns in Cuba including Baracoa, Bayamo, Santiago, Puerto Príncipe, Sancti Spíritus, and Havana, implemented the encomienda (tribute encomienda) system, and attracted settlers, making Cuba a staging ground for expeditions to Yucatán and the Mexican mainland.

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