Spanish immigration to Cuba

[2][3] In 1511, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar set out with three ships and an army of 300 men from Hispaniola to form the first Spanish settlement in Cuba, with orders from Spain to conquer the island.

The Taínos were initially organized by cacique (chieftain) Hatuey, who had himself relocated from Hispaniola to escape the brutalities of Spanish rule on that island.

After a prolonged guerrilla campaign, Hatuey and successive chieftains were captured and burnt alive, and within three years the Spanish had gained control of the island.

The Roman Catholic religion was brought to Cuba by Spanish colonialists at the beginning of the 16th century, is the most prevalent professed faith.

Since the Fourth Cuban Communist Party Congress in 1991, restrictions have been eased and, according to the National Catholic Observer, direct challenges by state institutions to the right to religion have all but disappeared,[4] though the church still faces restrictions of written and electronic communication, and can only accept donations from state-approved funding sources.

[6] The European heritage of Cubans comes primarily from one source: the Spaniards (including Canarians, Asturians, Catalans, Galicians, Andalusians, and Castilians).

[10][11] Andalusians are a fairly large community in Cuba, in fact the way Cubans speak is strongly influenced by the Spanish dialect of Andalusia (in the same way as the Canarian accent).

Due to the fact that at that time the Canary Islands were still repopulating, the Canarian ethnic group that arrived in Cuba was very small.

Most of the Canarians came from Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma and settled in cities such as Havana, Matanzas, Oriente, Pinar del Río and in the center of the island, basically dedicating themselves to agriculture.

In recent times, a large part of Spanish investments in Cuba, especially in the tourism sector, come from Catalan capital.

The Galicians have more than 15,300 members approximately,[15][16] dispersed mainly in Havana, Cárdenas, Matanzas, Pinar del Río, Camagüey, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo.