In the early 1500s, the Indigenous
Taíno people of
Havana,
Cuba, were led by their
cacique (
tribal chieftain), Habaguanex. San Cristóbal de La Habana, the name given to Cuba's capital in 1519, is believed to reference the local chief's name. Theories suggest that the name combined
San Cristóbal—honoring the patron saint of travelers—with the chief's name, adjusted to Spanish
phonetics. The national hospitality agency,
Habaguanex S.A., is named after him. ==See also==