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Name Hatuey Hatuey Died February 2, 1512, Yara, Cuba Similar Anacaona, Guarionex, Orocobix | ||
Hatuey sung by rita montaner eliseo grenet cuban composer
Hatuey (died February 2, 1512) was a Taíno Cacique (chief) originally from the island of Hispaniola, who lived in the early sixteenth century and fled to Cuba during the Spanish conquest. He has attained legendary status for leading a group of natives in a fight against the invading Spaniards, and thus becoming one of the first fighters against colonialism in the New World. He is celebrated as "Cuba's First National Hero". The 2010 film Even the Rain includes a cinematic account of Hatuey's execution.
Contents
- Hatuey sung by rita montaner eliseo grenet cuban composer
- Tamen a chuvia execucion de hatuey en cuba 1512
- History
- Legacy
- References
Tamen a chuvia execucion de hatuey en cuba 1512
History
In 1511, Diego Velázquez set out from Hispaniola to conquer the island of Cuba (Taino name, recorded by Columbus). He was preceded, however, by Hatuey, who fled Hispaniola with a party of four hundred in canoes and warned some of the Native people of eastern Cuba about what to expect from the Spaniards.
Bartolomé de Las Casas later attributed the following speech to Hatuey. He showed the Taíno of Caobana a basket of gold and jewels, saying:
The Taino chiefs in Cuba did not respond to Hatuey's message, and few joined him to fight. Hatuey resorted to guerrilla tactics against the Spaniards, and was able to confine them for a time. He and his fighters were able to kill at least eight Spanish soldiers. Eventually, using mastiffs and torturing the Native people for information, the Spaniards succeeded in capturing him. On February 2, 1512, he was tied to a stake and burned alive at Yara, near present-day City of Bayamo (See Jose Barreiro, "A Note on Taino," in View From the Shore, Cornell Akwe:son Press, 1990.)
Before he was burned, a priest asked Hatuey if he would accept Jesus and go to heaven. Las Casas recalled the reaction of the chief:
[Hatuey], thinking a little, asked the religious man if Spaniards went to heaven. The religious man answered yes... The chief then said without further thought that he did not want to go there but to hell so as not to be where they were and where he would not see such cruel people. This is the name and honor that God and our faith have earned.Legacy
The town of Hatuey, located south of Sibanicú in the Camagüey Province of Cuba, was named after the Taíno hero.
Hatuey also lives on in the name of a beer brewed by Empresa Cerveceria Hatuey Santiago, a brewery in Santiago de Cuba, and one brand of a type of sugary, non-alcoholic malt beverage called Malta.
In a 2010 film shot in Bolivia, Even the Rain, Hatuey is a main character in the film-within-the-film.
The logo of the Cuban cigar and cigarette brand Cohiba is a picture of Hatuey.