The original inhabitants of the Island were three indigenous groups: the tainos, who were the most developed ones, dedicated to agriculture and hunting, the guanahatabeyes and the siboneyes.
The discovery took place on October 27th, 1492 by the Great Admiral Christopher Columbus, during his first voyage, when he landed in Bariay.

By the end of 1510 the conquering expedition led by Diego Velazquez arrived, starting then the foundation of the first seven villages. Through this process, from 1510 to 1519, the villages of Baracoa, Bayamo, Puerto Principe, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus and Havana City. The Spaniards made the weak and pacific indigenous population work too hard and most of the native settlements had disappeared. The Island' s fertile soil, allowed the quick production of tobacco, sugar and coffee as well as cattle raising. Since workers were then needed, a cruel slavery with Africans began.

Due to its geographic location on the Old Canal of Bahamas, between the Old and New Worlds, the importance of the Island was early understood by both Spain and its enemies. Because of the need for defense against the frequent attacks by pirates and corsairs- mainly from France, England and Netherlands- impressive fortifications were built along the coasts since mid Sixteenth century on. In 1762 Havana was seized by British troops who controlled the town for eleven months.

After the end of the British domination, Spain allowed the Island more freedom for commerce and doubled the amount of slaves in the Western region in order to benefit the sugar industry.

Eighteenth century was a period of prosperity for the Colony´s economy and culture. During the Nineteenth century the awareness on a Cuban nationality definitely matured. Literature and arts produced outstanding values. In 1868 at the "La Demajagua" sugar plantation in the East, patriot Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, today known as the Father of the Homeland, gave freedom to his slaves and summoned them to fight the colonizers. The Ten Years War, thus started, came to an end in 1878 by means of the Zanjón Pact between the rebels and the Spanish Army. General Antonio Maceo then performed the so called Baraguá Protest in order to express his decision to continue fighting the Colonial regime.


Jose Martí, born in Havana in 1853, the Cuban National Hero, an outstanding writer and journalist, founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party in 1892. The Independence War recommenced on February 24, 1895. The Mambi Army marched in victory from one end of to the other, very often defeating the powerful Spanish troops. Martí fell in combat at Dos Rios on May 19, 1895. Under Dominican born General Máximo Gomez´s leadership, the heroic struggle against the Spanish domination continued. The amazing Invasion from East to West was commanded by General Antonio Maceo.

In 1898, when the Cuban victory over Spain was almost imminent, after the explosion of the American ship "Maine" on the harbor of Havana, the United States declared war on Spain defeating its army shortly after. From 1899 to 1902 the Island was occupied by the Americans.

The Cuban Republic was established on May 20, 1902 under the restrictions of the Platt Amendment which established the American right to intervene on the Island. A second American intervention took place from 1906 to 1909.

Since then on the national economy was mainly based on the production of sugar. Huge modern sugar plantations and factories were developed, many of them owned by foreign monopolies like the United Fruit Company.

In the thirties, remarkable historic events took place during the revolutionary movement against dictator Gerardo Machado, during which the university students in Havana played a fundamental role.

On December 2nd, 1956, expeditionary men led by Fidel Castro arrived from Mexico aboard the Granma yacht and landed at the southeast area of the country. A rebel army was then created on the Sierra Maestra Mountains in order to fight against dictator Fulgencio Batista. The Revolutionary period started on January 1st, 1959 when the defeated dictator left Cuba taking with him 40 million dollars stolen from the public treasury.

The First Law of Agrarian Reform was promulgated on May 17th, 1959 returning land to the farmers.

In 1960 the United States imposed the current economical and commercial embargo on the Island. At a public meeting on April 16th, 1961, Fidel Castro proclaimed the Socialist nature of the Cuban revolution.

A National Campaign against illiteracy was successfully carried out during 1961. Bay of Pigs battles took place in 1961 when Cuban exiles supported by the USA tried to overthrow the ruling Revolution. Three days later the invaders had been defeated by the Revolutionary militias.

Cuba was expelled from the OAS in 1962 and the country´s main relations turned to be those with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries.

The Missiles Crisis happened in October 1962 as a consequence of the existence of Soviet nuclear weapons on the Island and the American discomfort with regard to it. This moment was the closest that humanity has come to a nuclear war.

The dissolution of the Socialism field in Eastern Europe had a strong effect on the Island´s economy from 1990 on, creating an economic crisis. In order to survive from this crisis and still facing the American embargo, Cuba has actively developed the tourism industry and opened the country to foreign investments with Spanish, French, Canadian, Mexican and other partners.