Everything about Hatuey totally explained
Hatuey was a
Taíno Cacique (chief) from the
island of
Hispaniola, during the early sixteenth century. He has attained legendary status for leading a group of natives in a fight against the invading
Spanish, and thus becoming the first fighter against
colonialism in the
New World. He is celebrated as "
Cuba's First National Hero."
In 1511,
Diego Velázquez set out from Hispaniola to conquer the island of
Cuba. He was preceded, however, by Hatuey, who fled Hispaniola with a party of four hundred natives in canoes and warned the Cuban natives about what to expect from the Spaniards.
Bartolomé de Las Casas later attributed the following speech to Hatuey. He showed the Cubans a basket of gold and jewels, saying:
» Here is the God the Spaniards worship. For these they fight and kill; for these they persecute us and that's why we've to throw them into the sea... They tell us, these tyrants, that they adore a God of peace and equality, and yet they usurp our land and make us their slaves. They speak to us of an immortal soul and of their eternal rewards and punishments, and yet they rob our belongings, seduce our women, violate our daughters. Incapable of matching us in valor, these cowards cover themselves with iron that our weapons can't break...
Most of the Cubans couldn't believe Hatuey's message, and few joined him to fight. Hatuey resorted to
guerrilla tactics against the Spaniards, and was able to confine them to their fort at
Baracoa. Eventually the Spaniards succeeded in capturing him. On
February 2, 1512, he was tied to a stake and burned alive at
Yara.
Before he was burned, a priest asked him if he'd accept
Jesus and go to heaven. Hatuey asked "Are there Spaniards in heaven?" When the priest assured him that there were many, Hatuey replied "If Christians go to heaven, I don't want to go to Heaven".
The town of Hatuey was named after the Taíno hero and is in the Camaguey province of Cuba. Prior to 1962, the town center included the local general store Hermanos Teichberg, a Guarapo window, a few other stores and the postage stamp size train station. Guajiros used to come into town for shopping, particularly after the "zafra" or sugar harvest. Workers from the nearby Najasa Mill also shopped in town. The rail line running through town was used to ship sugar cane to mills. The canes would fall off or be plucked off by youngsters - to be chewed or made into delicious Guarapo, or sugar cane juice, to be iced for immediate drinking.
References in Popular Culture
Mentioned in
Kurt Vonnegut's novel
Hocus Pocus, which was published in 1990, and in
Leslie Marmon Silko's 1991 novel
Almanac of the Dead.
A
beer called Hatuey was formerly brewed in Cuba by
Bacardi but is now brewed by the Bacardi-owned
Indian Head Brewery in
Baltimore, Maryland, USA. This
light lager (5.5%
alcohol by volume) is sold in green bottles with a red label depicting a Taino profile.
There is also a Cuban American
malta (soft drink) called Hatuey. It has a
Taíno profile as its logo. In Dominican Republic there's a hugely popular brand of soda crackers called
"Hatuey & Guarina"Further Information
Get more info on 'Hatuey'.
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