In this episode we finally cover the initial conquest and colonization of Cuba, from the aftermath of Christopher Columbus' death all the way to the early colonial period in the 1520s. This is a story that you will probably not find anywhere else. Usually, when discussing the early colonial period at all, the processes of conquest and colonization are summarized in a few lines or at most a paragraph or two. This tends to leave readers with extremely vague and low resolution understandings of exactly how in the space of a few years Spain seized control of Cuba when it had taken two decades to t ..read more

In this episode we cover the colonization of the Caribbean from 1492-1507.  This is a sort of 'special' episode on Columbus and his role in this key period in Cuba's history. While the episode discusses his role as a navigator, it also focuses on his role in colonizing the island of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and Dominican Republic).   The story of how Columbus used violence to impose Spanish rule over the colony is slowly becoming better known. What seems missing from many popular accounts, however, is that this was not merely a series of brutal acts against isolated villages, but ..read more

In this episode we learn how different Iberian Christian kingdoms expanded, explored, and colonized before Columbus ever set foot in the Americas. We also finally bring the story up to 1492 ..read more

And we're back! Continuing Episode 2's look at pre-colonial Cuba, this episode looks at the daily lives of the Taino. Here I cover their politics, town layouts, social organization, culture, food, trade, and religion ..read more

This episode is an introduction to the world of the Taino, the largest indigenous group on the Greater Antilles. First, the sources we have for understanding it and, second, the broad cultural frontiers that define it. This is part I, with the next episode digging deeper into what daily life was like for the Taino.   This episode is a bit denser than most and in future episodes like it will be labelled as "bonus" episodes or something similar. Optional asides that are deeper dives, getting into things like historiography, methods, sources, etc.  ..read more

In this episode we look at Cuba's geography, not simply as a space where things happened but as a dynamic place, whose features would shape how Cubans interacted with it and which Cubans would shape in turn ..read more

Welcome! Here is the official announcement of the podcast and its objectives ..read more