The Evolution of Cuba pt1

TMi! : The Evolution of Cuba Part 1: Colonisation to Independence

Welcome to TMI. Together, we’ll dive right into the nitty gritty of various spots on Planet Earth to find out what’s really going on over there? Throughout October I will be writing about Cuba’s everything! Starting with ‘The Evolution of Cuba’, because unless you’re Star Wars, the beginning is always the best place to start. We’ll look at Cuba’s ugly little baby photos, her adopted parents’ violent custody quarrels & subsequently her rebellious teenage years. Got it? OK, stick on some Buena Vista Social Club and let’s Vamanos!

The Evolution of Cuba

The Early Years & Colonisation

Cuba, an island off the East Coast of Central America was discovered by early settlers way back when. (You guys, I swear I will be more specific than this moving forward). My point is, that there were already native folks living on the land – the Tainos. They were living peacefully on the abundant island when that asshole Cristoforo Colombo set sail with his three ships in 1492, La Nina, La Pinta & La Santa Maria. (I’ll do you in the bottom while you’re drinking sangria #boats&hoes).

The Spanish Crown funded the trip West and promised a lifetime pension to the first person who spotted land. A young lad of 23, by the name of Rodrigo de Triana was the first aboard to see land after an arduous trip. But you’ve probably never heard of him because Colombo actually saw the land first, he just didn’t like say anything to anyone because like, it wasn’t a big deal or whatever and he was older so whatever he said goes… Poor Rodrigo got royally mugged off. Literally.

Seeing as globes weren’t a thing, Colombo (who was seeking out a Western path to Asia) proclaimed they had landed in India. He labelled the natives Indians & this is why the chain of Islands are sometimes referred to as The West Indies.

Whilst the Taino’s welcomed the Europeans to their land, they existed in harmony for a short period of time only. The ease of exploitation proved too much. Throw in the gross diseases the Europeans carried over with them & the natives didn’t stand a chance. Any sign of uprising was stamped out and as more Spanish colonies settled in Cuba, Taino numbers dwindled.

The Rise & Fall of Slavery in Cuba

Sadly, slavery did play a part in the evolution of Cuba – a big part. As the exploitation of the land continued, more hands were required to man the sugar plantations. In the 1800’s alone, it’s estimated that around 400,000 slaves were brought to Cuba, not only to work on sugar plantations but also for housework & prostitution. If you struggle with your historic imagination, heed this: regardless of the age of the slave, starting out on a sugar plantation gave the individual a life expectancy of just 8 years. At the time, Cuba was producing 30% of the world’s sugar.

1844 – The Year of the Lash

In this day and age, The Year of the Lash might sound like a yearlong bender – but I assure you it’s much darker than that. ‘La Conspiracion de La Escalera’ – a group of people accused of being a slave revolt – were caught & consequently, the leaders executed. If you’re wondering why it’s called the Year of the Lash – according to Wiki: La Escalera (the ladder) alludes to the fact that slave suspects were bound to ladders and whipped with the lash when they were interrogated.

1868 – The 10 Year War

24 years later, & conflict was still mounting & Cubans were growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Spanish rule. Finally, on the morning of October 10^th, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes (so fun to say) rang his ‘slave bell’ for the last time. He gathered together all the slaves that worked on his land & handed them their freedom. He requested that they join his side of the fight and so the 10 Year War began. Spoiler Alert, the uprising didn’t work. Spain eventually (10 years later…) negotiated an end to the fighting in return for reforms (that seemingly never materialised). But, they did eventually abolish slavery in 1886.

The War of Independence

In 1895, a second revolution (there’s a lot of em in Cuba) took hold. The fight for Cuba’s independence from Spain Part 2 if you will. This time, the rebels are more successful. The trouble is, their success provoked brutal retaliation from Spain. Thousands of Cubans were suffering at the hands of the Spanish, who were ‘reconcentrating’ them. Which basically means herding them into concentrated areas where they were getting sick and starving to death. The rebels remained rural & were able to keep fighting using guerrilla tactics. But, this would prove to never be enough to completely oust Spain from the island.

1898 – The Spanish – American War

Eventually, in 1898 a US navy ship (the USS Maine) exploded in Havana harbour. The US were understandably pissed. They had brought their fancy schmancy ship over to idly keep an eye on their citizens whilst all hell was breaking loose (you know, those endless revolutions that were happening). It tragically exploded with over 200 people on board. And whilst it was never proven, the favoured opinion was that Spain was responsible. I wonder if there were conspiracy theories back then about it being an insider job?

There were of course other reasons for the US to intervene. It’s just that the unproven ship explosion was the one that got everyone riled up. Firstly. Life for the Cubans was awful & they needed liberating. And we all now how much the US likes to help out impoverished countries that have been exploited with no strings attached. Just kidding. The US had a lot invested in Cuba and Spain was ballsing it up for them. It didn’t take long. By the end of the year, Spain let Cuba go.

Independence for Cuba!

The US stayed present in Cuba for a few years whilst they negotiated their own ‘thank you for liberating us present’ from Cuba. Because there’s no such thing as a free lunch. This basically meant that the US would leave them to it… As long as they only shared their land with the US, let the US build Guantanamo Bay Naval Base & only do business with the US and its approved countries.

And with that, Cuba got its “independence” back. After literally hundreds of years of being plundered & exploited, Cubans could finally look to the future.

What’s Next?

Today, Havana (Cuba’s capital) has a population of over 2 million people, making it the biggest city in the Caribbean. 25% of Cuba’s inhabitants are of Spanish descent and 65% are direct descendants of slaves. Let that last one soak in.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Yes, that was a pretty wild 400 years, but the next 100 is where things get really crazy. As Cuba scrambles to build a better country, the political drama that ensues is one that would shape arguably two of the biggest political icons the world has ever seen. Fidel Castro & Che Guevara.

So, thank you for joining me on my first ever proper TMI post. I hope you learnt a thing or two and I hope to see you back for The Evolution of Cuba part 2.

Until then, take care & remember… No Info is Too Much Info

xoxo

TL ; DR – Cristoforo Colombo lands in Cuba whilst looking for a route west to Asia. The Spanish colonise Cuba & begin to bring slaves over to work on sugar plantations. Eventually Cubans & free slaves fight against the Spanish for independence. The US intervene & beat Spain to liberate Cuba.

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