,
Princeton University. Santiago de Cuba was the seventh village founded by Spanish
conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on 25 July 1515. The settlement was destroyed by fire in 1516, and was immediately rebuilt. This was the starting point of the expeditions led by
Juan de Grijalba and
Hernán Cortés to the coasts of Mexico in 1518, and in 1538 by
Hernando de Soto's expedition to Florida. The first
cathedral was built in the city in 1528. From 1522 until 1589, Santiago was the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba. The city was plundered by French forces in 1553, and by English forces
in 1603. More than 50 years later the English
raided again in 1662 under
Christopher Myngs. The city had a huge influx of French and British immigrants in the late-18th and early-19th centuries. Some eighteen thousand
Saint Dominican refugees, both ethnic French whites and free people of color, and African
freedmen, came from
Saint-Domingue in the summer of 1803 during the last days of the
Haitian slave revolt, which had started in 1791. Other refugees had emigrated from Saint-Domingue earlier in the revolution. Haiti declared its independence as a republic in 1804. The French were withdrawing surviving troops after suffering heavy losses from warfare and
yellow fever. The immigrants, who included freedmen as France had abolished slavery on Saint-Domingue, struggled to maintain their freedom in Cuba, which was still a slave society. Cuba initially allowed only white refugees, women of color, children, and loyal "domestics" to land; French troops and all men of color over the age of thirteen were held off shore, to be rapidly deported to the mainland, as they were considered a revolutionary threat. Most went to the United States, and thousands settled in New Orleans, with the freedmen increasing its African culture, as most had been born in Africa. The ethnic French whites and free people of color, generally with longer ties to French culture, added their flavor to the culture of the city as well. Near the end of the century, during the
Spanish–American War, Santiago was the site of the major defeat of Spanish troops at
San Juan Hill on 1 July 1898. After capturing the surrounding hills, United States General
William Rufus Shafter laid siege to the city. Spain later surrendered to the United States after Admiral
William T. Sampson destroyed the Spanish Atlantic fleet just outside Santiago's harbor on 3 July 1898. Cuba had declared independence from Spain but was occupied by US troops for several years. Historians suggest they were there to ensure the sugar economy continued to be productive.
José Martí, a Cuban poet, writer, and national hero, is buried in
Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in this city.
Role in the Cuban Revolution Santiago was the home of the 20th-century revolutionary hero
Frank País. On 26 July 1953, the
Cuban Revolution began with an ill-prepared armed attack on the
Moncada Barracks by a small contingent of rebels led by
Fidel Castro. Shortly after this disastrous incident, País began talking with students and young working people informally, drawing around him what became an extremely effective urban revolutionary alliance. He and his followers developed highly organized cells, coordinating a large-scale urban resistance that became instrumental in the success of the Cuban Revolution. País' group prepared carefully, accruing weapons, collecting money and medical supplies. They published a cheap newsletter that reported news critical of the government, attempting to counter Batista's censorship of the mainline press. In the summer of 1955, País's organization merged with Castro's 26 July Movement. País became the leader of the new organization in
Oriente province. Two years later he was betrayed to the police and was fatally shot after his capture. On 1 January 1959,
Fidel Castro proclaimed the victory of the
Cuban Revolution from a balcony on Santiago de Cuba's city hall. The ashes of País were interred in Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, where Marti had been buried. == Culture ==