History of Cuba U.S. embassy in Havana was formally reopened in August 2015. History of Cuba The island of Cuba was inhabited by various Mesoamerican cultures prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. After Columbus' arrival, Spain conquered Cuba and appointed Spanish governors to rule in Havana. In 1762, Havana was briefly occupied by Great Britain, before being returned to Spain in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions during the 19th century failed to end the Spanish rule. However, the Spanish–American War resulted in a Spanish withdrawal from the island in 1898, and following three-and-a-half years of
San Luis, Santiago de Cuba San Luis, Santiago de Cuba San Luis is a town and municipality in the Santiago de Cuba Province of Cuba. It is located north of Santiago de Cuba. The city was founded in 1827 on the location of a ranch. Arrival of the railroad accelerated its development. San Luis achieved municipality status on 19 August 1898. In 2004, the municipality of San Luis had a population of 88,496. With a total area of , it has a population density of . The municipality is divided into the barrios of Dos Caminos, La Luz, Majaguabo, Monte Dos Leguas, Norte and Sur.