Expert: Paul Walcutt - 2/18/2005

Question
What were the reasons for Cuba's continuing loyalty to Spain during the wars for Independence in Spanish America?

Answer
This is an educated guess, but I think a lot of the peopl who immigrated to Cuba kept strong ties to Spain.  La Habana was the de facto capital city of all of the Spanish American colonies, and it likely attracted the wealthier merchants who had strong interest in maintaining Spanish control of the hemisphere.  On the other hand, in the hinterlands, many of the people had left nothing in Spain and had no ties to it.

It also likely had something to do with Habana being the last stop of the Treasure Fleet as it headed back to Spain.  With all that gold/silver on board, there was a lot to spend and it kept Cubans satisfied with Spanish rule.  By contrast, in other areas a lot of the money went straight to Spain and not much stuck around.