Hatuey, also Hatüey, was a Taínocacique 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 filmEven the Rain includes a cinematic account of Hatuey's execution.
History
In 1511, Diego Velázquez set out from Hispaniola to conquer the island of Cuba to steal gold and Taíno as slaves. Velázquez 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 the present-day City of Bayamo. 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:
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 as a beer brand name. Beer has been brewed in Santiago de Cuba and sold under the Hatuey brand name since 1927, initially by the native Cuban company, Compañia Ron Bacardi S.A.. After nationalization of industry in 1960, brewing was taken over by Empresa Cerveceria Hatuey Santiago. Beginning in 2011, the Bacardi family again began making beers in the United States to market under the Hatuey label. Hatuey is also a brand of a type of sugary, non-alcoholic malt beverage called Malta. Hatuey is also a brand of soda cracker. 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.
