The native population of Cuba can be divided in 3 fundamental cultural complexes related to 3 towns: the guanahatabeyes, inhabitants of the coasts of the West of the island and that was distinguished by the use of the shell for the preparation of their utensils and were recolectores fishermen and basically; the taínos, but advanced, stood out in the pottery and mainly constituted a town agriculturist and that extended by all the country from the east and the siboneyes, that developed an intermediate culture. In general the cultural development of these towns was very low and they did not leave as soon as it treads.

Cristobal Columbus discovered Cuba the 27 of October of 1492, to that it gave the name him of Juana in honor of the first-born of Kings Cato'licos, in that first trip recognized the east of the island and in its second trip it crossed the southern coast advancing much towards the West, nevertheless, until its death it believed - or it wanted to think that Cuba was not an island but that it comprised of the continent. To Sebastián Ocampo it must the first complete bojeo to him of the island, carried out in 1509, although or from 1498 one thought that it was an island as result of an attributed secret trip to Alonso de Ojeda or Vicente Yañez Pinzón accompanied by Juan of the Thing. The bojeo of Sebastián Ocampo cleared all the doubts about the insularidad of Cuba and clearing also I pull ahead of mystery that surrounded it, according to him - Ocampo- the indigenous population was pacific, existed good territories of culture and good bays as those of Jagua (Cienfuegos) and Havana and this knowledge laid the way finally to the colonization of the island.

In 1510 the colonization of the island with the expedition of Diego Velazquez began, who founded on that same year the villa of Baracoa, for 1515 the colonizadoras expeditions of Pánfilo de Narváez and Juan de Grijalva had already overcome the little resistance of the natives of the rear area and the villas of Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus were based and San Cristóbal of Havana and later the villas of Port Prince (today Camaguey) and Santiago of Cuba, erected in the first capital by Diego Vela'zquez, first governor of Cuba until their death in 1524. Vela'zquez organized the first mining operations and received the first black escavos taken to the island to replace the work of the natural ones, of which they were left for year 1540 only few hundreds of a considered initials in around 120 000 inhabitants for year 1500, exterminated by the bad treatments, the measles, the smallpox and other diseases brought to America by the Spaniards and for which they did not have the native natural defenses.

During the remaining years of the century XVI Cuba which is used as it bases for the conquest and colonization of the continent, thus in 1513 Juan Ponce of Leon it discovers and it begins the exploration and it conquers of Florida and in 1519 Courteous Hernán it leaves Havana with the company of the conquest of Mexico, after Havana becomes the natural point of resupply of the fleets from return to Spain increasing its importance the context of the New World. This century also characterized by the frequent attacks of pirates and Havana privateers fué attacked in 1538 and 1555 and Santiago of Cuba in 1554 -, by the construction of the aqueduct of Havana and its elevation to the rank of city in 1592, the completion of the construction of the Castle of the Nose, strength that still dominates the entrance of the bay of Havana; and mainly by the creation of the sugar industry already at the end of century, which brought like consequence the beginning of the massive import of slaves of Africa.

Havana, turned the rallying point of the fleets that made the passage between the américano continent and the metropolis, progressed quickly and already in 1607 fué designated officially the capital of the island. In this same year and with the purpose of fortifying the development of the Eastern part of the island Spanish Corona divided it in two governments: the one of Havana in the West and the one of Santiago of Cuba, in the Eastern part.

From principles of century XVII the culture of the tobacco already receives a great commercial importance but it is signed by the strong regulations imposed by the Metropolis that arrived at the end to penalize with the death to those who sold tobacco to foreigners. The establishment in this century of English, French and Dutch colonies in neighboring territories produced a new outbreak of the piracy with attacks to Santiago of Cuba in 1662 and Port Prince - in the center of the island in 1688; already at the end of century, in 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick puts outside the law the bucanerismo and to a great extent finishes with the attacks of pirates and buccaneers.