The Portuguese voyages to the Indies along the African coast served as inspiration for other European navigators. They believed that by sailing westward they could reach the territories of East Asia.

Christopher Columbus supported this hypothesis and therefore planned a voyage of exploration supported by the Spanish monarchy. The fleet consisted of three caravels: La Pinta, La Niña, and La Nao Santa María. They had a crew of approximately ninety men. The group of Spanish expeditionaries representing the Catholic Monarchs of Aragon and Castile departed from the port of Palos de la Frontera, commanded by Christopher Columbus. They reached the American coast in October 1492, believing it to be the Asian continent.

The island of Cuba was discovered during the first voyage undertaken by Christopher Columbus and his crew, but it didn’t gain economic interest for the Spanish crown until the first decade of the 16th century, in the quest to find gold. The Spanish navigators landed on the easternmost part of the island for conquest purposes, initiating the confrontation between the Spanish and the natives, and with this confrontation, the occupation and colonization.

Parallel to colonization, the first musicians arrived in Cuba in the 16th century. These musicians also brought Spain to us through voice and musical instruments.