Become a channel member to help World Heraldry make new videos! null _________________________ HISTORY OF CUBA Cuba was first settled by the Guanahatabey and Taino Native Americans. They were farmers, hunters, and fishers. Christopher Columbus landed at Cuba in 1492 and claimed the land for Spain. The first Spanish settlement on Cuba was Baracoa which was founded by Diego Velazquez de Cuellar in 1511. As Cuba became more settled by the Spanish they developed industries of sugarcane, tobacco, and cattle. Cuba first started to fight for its independence from Spain in 1868 in the Ten Years War. Led by national hero Jose Marti, the war for independence again became heated in 1895. In 1898, the United States took control of Cuba, as a result of the Spanish-American War.