Origins & Early Life

Hatuey (), also Hatüey (; died February 2, 1512), was a Taíno Cacique (chief) of the Hispaniolan cacicazgo of Guanaba (in present-day La Gonave, Haiti). He lived from the late 15th until the early 16th century. He and many of his tribesmen travelled from present-day La Gonave by canoe to Cuba to warn the Indigenous people in Cuba about the Spaniards that were arriving to conquer the island. Hatuey later attained legendary status for leading a group of Indigenous people in a fight against the invasion of the Spaniards, thus becoming one of the first fighters against Spanish colonialism in the New World.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He is celebrated as "Cuba's first national hero". In 1511, Diego Velázquez set out from Hispaniola to what is now known as present-day Guantánamo Province in easternmost Cuba to conquer and subjugate the local Indigenous population, who had previously been recorded there by Christopher Columbus. Velázquez was preceded, however, by Hatuey, who fled Hispaniola with a party of four hundred in canoes and warned some of the Indigenous people of eastern Cuba about what to expect from the Spaniards. Bartolomé de Las Casas later attributed the following speech to Hatuey...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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