-
300
Tiano and Ciboney- crops
The Tiano and Ciboney tribes raised crops such as potatoes and manioc. They grew yams and other vegetables, and they caught fish and birds. They wove cotton and cultivated the tobacco plant. -
500
Tiano and Ciboney-stone tools
0-1491 The Tiano and the Ciboney tribes were known as agriculturalists. They produced their own stone tools. They lived in village communtities varying in size from a few families to a few thousand people and each community had a leader. -
Jan 1, 745
Tiano-challenges
The peaceful culture of the Tiano was ill-suited to meet the challenges of Spanish invaders, who first landed on the island with Christopher Columbus on October 27, 1492. In later years more Spanish arrived, and they had a little trouble subduing the Indians. The Tiano were forced into servitude. Those who resisted were kiled. -
Jan 1, 1200
Tiano
Cuba's earliest known inhabitants were the Ciboney and the Guanahatabey, who lived in the western half of the island. The more numerous Tiano arrived much later, around A.D. 1200. The Tiano were closely related to the Arawaks of South America, and the two groups are often spolen of as one people. It is very likely that these early settlers on Cuba were descendants of agriculturalists who had migrated north from the Amazon Basin of South America. -
Oct 27, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Columbus led his three ships - the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria - out of the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492.His objective was to sail west until he reached Asia (the Indies) where the riches of gold, pearls and spice awaited.His first stop was the Canary Islands where the lack of wind left his expedition becalmed until September 6.Once on his way, Columbus benefited from calm seas and steady winds that pushed him steadily westward. Finally, he visits Cuba and claims it for Spain. -
United States
At first, the United States remained officially neutral during the tumultuous events in Cuba, even thought they were secretly negotiatiating with Spain to purchase the island. The United States business companies, by then the dominatnt investors in Cuba's sugar industry, called for United States intervention in Cuba to protect their interests. The in February 1898, an event occured that caused the United States to enter the war to free Cuba from Spain. -
Religion
As the country became more socialistic, the Catholic Church became more hostile. In 1960 the rule of Castro was formally denounced in a pastoral letter that was read out at all services. Castro responded by declaring, "Whoever betrays a revolution such as ours betrays Christ and would be capable of crucifying him again." Although this happened, formal chruch religion does not play an important role in the cultural life of Cuba. -
Fidel Castro
Cuba's system of government is defined in its constitution as "a socialist state of workers and peasants and all other manual and intellectual workers." Political power is exercised through the Cuban Communist Party. Fidel Castro's influence remains paramount and the loyalty he inspires is extraordinary. That is why he was elected President of Cuba in 1976, and he was subsequently reelected every five years.
