History of Havana: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Capital of Cuba, Starting from Christopher Columbus' Arrival to Fidel Castro

By Captivating History

Explore the Captivating History of Havana

The story of Havana has all the elements of a great epic. It has tragic heroes and cunning villains, dramatic battles and fine culture, explosions, killings, horrible murders, rousing speeches, and courageous displays of determination. The history of Cuba's capital is about more than just one city. It's about the astounding resilience of the Cuban people, a people that has been through so much and yet continues to bounce back, a people that is known for the irresistible combination of ingrained toughness and emotion always ready to leap to the surface.

This new captivating history book is for you if you want to go on a startling adventure, starting from the days of Christopher Columbus and continuing through wars, revolutions, protests, and partying.

In History of Havana: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Capital of Cuba, Starting from Christopher Columbus' Arrival to Fidel Castro, you will discover topics such as: 

 

• The Founding of Havana
• Cassava, Canals, and the French Corsairs
• The Siege of Havana
• The Slaves of Havana
• Hurricanes
• The Struggle for Independence Begins
• "Remember the Maine"
• The Havana High Life
• Another Revolution
• Castro's Victory
• Castro's Havana
• And much, much more!
   

So if you want to experience firsthand the events that have shaped this battered gem of the Caribbean, click "buy now"!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Captivating History
• Release date: Feb 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224084579

Book preview

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No one could have imagined a place like Havana, Cuba. It is absurdly contradictory, always arguing with itself over whether it is audacious or meek, heroic or stupid, beautiful or abhorrent.

~ Ed Kirwan

Introduction

Havana. At once, the mention of the name brings to mind Fidel Castro and the Cold War, a thing of tension and tyranny. This mysterious city remains a closed book to many Americans, a place where foreigners are unwelcome and communist law makes no sense to the capitalist world so close by. Cuba was the island that almost brought doom upon the United States during the Cold War; its communist system seems like a completely different universe from the Land of the Free, yet it is located only ninety miles from Florida.

Yet there is much more to this city than meets the eye. Havana was not always a dilapidated capital of a struggling country. Its history is one long adventure, starting from the days of Christopher Columbus and continuing through wars, revolutions, protests, and partying.

The story of Havana has all the elements of a great epic. It has tragic heroes and cunning villains, dramatic battles and fine culture, explosions, killings, horrible murders, rousing speeches, and courageous displays of determination. The history of Cuba's capital is about more than just one city. It's about the astounding resilience of the Cuban people, a people that has been through so much and yet continues to bounce back, a people that is known for the irresistible combination of ingrained toughness and emotion always ready to leap to the surface.

Such is Havana: passionate, yet stubbornly clinging to life against the odds. Through pirates and hurricanes, through wars and revolutions, surviving the brutality of many savage dictators who sought to crush its relentless spirit, Havana and its people live on. The city has been sacked, demolished, raped by corruption, and burned to the ground; however, it still remains a tourist attraction and an important port today.

Havana's story is filled with adventure and intrigue. Walk through the pages of this book to experience firsthand the events that have shaped this battered gem of the Caribbean.

Chapter 1 – The Founding of Havana

October 28th, 1492. Christopher Columbus and his men had been sailing for almost three months. For weeks, they had been out of sight of land, until at last a few weeks ago, on October 12th, a young sailor named Rodrigo de Traina had called out the sighting of land on the horizon. Since then, the Spanish sailors had been buzzing with excitement about exploring even more beautiful islands populated with friendly natives and vibrant wildlife. And this one, Columbus considered, promised to be just the same.

He stood on the deck of Santa Maria, his experienced sea-legs adjusting effortlessly to the gentle rocking of the ship as it moved across the calm seas to the next piece of new land. Squinting against the sun, Columbus could see already that like the others it was tropical. Its smooth beaches curved away to the horizon, pearl-white in the sunshine against the inexpressible blue of the sea. The heart-lifting expanses of those beaches were topped by green palm trees that danced gently in the sea breeze. In his words, it was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. He smiled, excited for their new discovery and knowing he was closer to his goal: India.

Christopher Columbus's failure to find a second route to Asia famously became one of the greatest European discoveries of all time. When he set out from Spain in August 1492, his goal was to find a safer route for the purpose of improving trade with India, sailing west from the port of Palos de la Frontera. Instead of finding India, in this first voyage of his, Columbus stumbled upon the chain of islands that is now known as the Bahamas. In later voyages, he would discover South America.

But the island on whose northeast coast he landed in late October 1492 would later become known as Cuba.

Columbus and his men spent a few months exploring the coastline and interacting with the natives, the Taíno. These tall and majestic people appeared to be as gentle as they were beautiful. They had been populating the island for centuries and divided it into twenty-nine sections, each ruled over by a chief. Columbus described them as a gentle and peace-loving race; they received the Spaniards with open arms, trading their knowledge of the land—and their access to food and water—for glass beads and other little treasures. At first, Columbus praised them in his logbooks and they appeared to develop a happy relationship with the Spaniards, but it wouldn't last long. Soon, the Spanish began to require tribute from them in the form of crops or meat. Should the natives be unable to comply with the demands, the Spanish would often pin them down and cut off their hands, leaving them to bleed painfully to death.

Columbus would leave a small settlement of soldiers behind in the New World before his return to Spain later in 1492, but it wasn't long before he returned. In 1493, he set sail once more, this time accompanied by, among others, a young conquistador named Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. Born in Segovia, Spain in 1465, Velázquez's poor background had given him two choices for his future: either to do manual work or to become a conquistador. Preferring blood to sweat, Velázquez opted for war.

Meanwhile, in 1509, Sebastián de Ocampo navigated his way against the harsh Gulf Stream around the land that Christopher Columbus had discovered in 1492. He confirmed suspicions that it was not an Asian peninsula after all, but rather an island. The island was dubbed Cuba; it is uncertain whether this was a derivative from a Taíno word, but if it was, it came from words that meant great place or where fertile land is abundant.

The island had lived up to its name for its natives—right up until the conquistadors arrived and started driving them out. The term conquistador means conqueror, and these Spanish and Portuguese soldiers did more than just fight—they explored. They were responsible for conquering and colonizing much of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Velázquez's first taste of the New World came during Columbus' second voyage, and he liked it enough to make colonizing it his life's work. Under