The Caribbean• Greater Antilles: The Big Islands• Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Hispaniola

(Dominican Republic & Haiti)• All are in the north Caribbean and discovered by

Columbus

Conquest

• Tainos: original inhabitants of islands were almost extinguished within 50 years of conquest due to overwork, murder, suicide, and Spanish disease

• Britain and France then competed with Spain for influence – France took Haiti and Britain took Jamaica

• Cuba, Dominican, Puerto Rico share a common history and culture (Spanish)

Cuba

• The only non-mountainous island• Havana used to be the “Paris of the Caribbean”

– now in shambles• Prior to Castro’s revolution, Cubans were

Catholic – now: most are non-religious• Soviet Union provided $5 billion annually to

Cuba – Cuba’s economy damaged greatly by Soviet collapse.

• U.S embargo prevents American tourists from Cuba, but it is still popular for Europeans

Cuba

• U.S. established a permanent base after Spanish-American war – now used for War on Terror prisoners

• Castro considers deal to establish as illegitimate

Haiti

• Spanish left western 1/3 of Hispaniola after gold and silver was discovered in Mexico

• French took over area and enslaved the black majority

• Haiti became the source of incalculable wealth due to sugar economy…

• However, wealth was accumulated by hideous treatment of slaves….

Haiti• Slaves of Haiti became world history’s first and

only successful slave uprising – ultimately even defeating Napoleon’s army

• First independent black nation• History after that is less encouraging

Haiti

• Religion: Voodoo (mixture of African tribal religion and Catholicism)

• 80% of population lives in extreme poverty• After corrupt elections in 2000, foreign aid was

cut off• Highest HIV and tuberculosis rate in hemisphere

(population is decreasing due to HIV)• 99% deforestation – and rains have washed

away most of the rest of the soil• Massive 2010 earthquake – 300,000+ dead