First Settlement

• In 1511, Christopher Columbus's son, Diego Columbus claimed Cuba for Spain. Spain then appointed Diego Velázquez as governor of the island.
  
  

Early Havana

• Havana, Cuba was named after a local chief in 1514 and soon became the staging area for Hernando Cortez's conquest of Mexico. From then on, Cuba became the stopping point for the conquering fleets leaving to Mexico.
  
  

Slaves

• During the 16th century, the Spanish first tried enslaving the native Cubans but quickly gave up in favor of African slaves. The Spanish first employed slaves to mine gold and then later, as the island became more domesticated, to grow tobacco and sugar. Over 400,000 Bantu Congo slaves were eventually brought to Cuba.
  
  

Pirates

• Throughout the 16th and 17th century, pirates, many of them French, attacked Cuba. They waited near Havana for the silver fleets to arrive from Mexico so they could steal the precious cargo.
  
  

Tainos

• The native Cubans, called the Tainos, attempted an attack on the Spanish settlers in 1550 under chieftain Guamá. However, they fought a losing battle. The Spanish had already taken over the island and, by 1555, only 2,000 of the original 3 million Tainos remained.
  
  

Population

• By the end of the 16th century, almost 20,000 free settlers were living in Cuba, with two thirds of that population residing in Havana.