Hatuey

Hatuey (/ɑːˈtweɪ/), also Hatüey (/ˌɑːtuˈeɪ/; died 2 February 1512), was a Taíno Cacique (chief) of the Hispaniolan cacicazgo of Guanaba (in present-day La Gonave, Haiti).

He later attained legendary status for leading a group of natives in a fight against the invasion of the Spaniards, thus becoming one of the first fighters against Spanish colonialism in the New World.

Velázquez was preceded, however, by Hatuey, who fled Hispaniola with a party of four hundred in canoes and warned some of the Native people of eastern Cuba about what to expect from the Spaniards.

Las Casas recalled the reaction of the chief: Hatuey is considered "Cuba's first national hero" and one of the earliest fighters against Spanish colonialism.

Beginning in 2011, the Bacardi family again began making beers in the United States to market under the Hatuey label.

Monument of Taíno chief Hatuey in Yara city, depicting the moment he was burnt by Spanish soldiers, bound to a Tamarind tree planted in 1907.
Plate at the base of the monument. It reads "To the memory of Chief Hatuey, unforgettable native, precursor of the Cuban liberty, who offered his life, and glorified his rebellion in the martyrdom of the flames on 2/2/1512. Monuments Delegation of Yara , 1999".
Image of a bas-relief of the portal of El Capitolio of Havana depicting the burning of Hatuey.
Burning of Hatuey. From a bas-relief of the portal of El Capitolio of Havana.