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
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Santiago de Cuba Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Santiago de Cuba The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption (), also called Santiago de Cuba Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral and minor basilica in Santiago de Cuba, in eastern Cuba. The cathedral fronts onto Céspedes Park. Its facade has two marble sculptures. The first church in Santiago was built in 1514, at the beginning of the Spanish colonization of Cuba, and dedicated to Saint Catherine. This was a small, rudimentary chapel on a hill, the future site of the provincial prison. In 1522, this parish church, called Ermita