History Cuba Part 1 - Columbus and Cuba: First Landing, Ancient Civilisations - and the Path of Tobacco

Columbus and Cuba. This is part 1 of the series History Cuba, which documents the development of Cuban tobacco culture from 1492 to the present day.

28 October 1492: Christopher Columbus reaches the north-east coast of an island he believes to be an outpost of Asia. The scene has been told many times, but it remains fascinating - because of the moment of the first encounter and because of what had been there long before: independent cultures and a knowledge of plants that would change the world.

Series „History Cuba“ - A 6-part documentary journey through the history of Habanos. 👉To the complete overview of the series.

Table of contents part 1

Columbus reaches Cuba (1492)

The chronology is well documented: On his first voyage, Columbus landed on the north-east coast of Cuba on 28 October 1492. He initially interpreted the coast as the edge of the Asian mainland („Cathay“). His errors were quickly corrected, but the basic fact remains: The admiral mapped sections of the Cuban coast and reported friendly encounters with the inhabitants. For terms and names, please see the fact check below.

Where exactly did Columbus set foot on land?

Research places the landing site in what is now the province of Holguín. The Bay of Bariay is often cited as the site of the first landing. The exact location is disputed; the arrival on the north-eastern coast of Cuba at the end of October 1492 is certain.

Before Columbus: Taíno, Ciboney and Guanahatabey

Before 1492, Cuba was inhabited by various indigenous groups. It is assumed that the island of Cuba has been inhabited for around 10,000 years.

At the end of the 15th century, the Taíno, Arawak-speaking village communities with complex social structures under hereditary chiefs (caciques), made up the largest proportion. There is also evidence of the Ciboney (often associated with cave dwellers) and the Guanahatabey, a hunter-gatherer population living in western Cuba, who were linguistically and culturally distinct from the Taíno. Archaeology and sources point to several waves of migration to the Caribbean, beginning with early hunter-gatherers and later Arawak migrations from northern South America.

Columbus and Cuba: The Landing interpreted by ChatGPT.

„Dried leaves, rolled up“: The first European observation of smoking

The earliest European description of tobacco smoking comes directly from the area surrounding the landing: Columbus sent Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres inland on 2 November 1492. The report, handed down in the summary by Bartolomé de las Casas, records that locals formed dried leaves into rolls, lit one end and drew in the smoke.

⚠️ The designation of these roles is not completely standardised in the earliest sources. please read the fact check below.

Fermentation: only standardised later

The early colonial descriptions show that the indigenous practice primarily involved drying and bundling the leaves. Controlled fermentation - i.e. the „sweating“ of large quantities of leaves in piles with temperature control and restacking - is a later refinement of the colonial and modern cigar trade. To this day, specialised dictionaries describe the process chain as a sequence of harvesting, drying, maturing/storage and (in the case of cigar leaves) fermentation. But please note: tobacco cannot be consumed without fermentation.

Cohoba is not tobacco

In addition to the smoking of leaf rolls, a ritual snuff is known from the Greater Antilles: Cohoba. This is a powder made from the seeds of the yopo tree (Anadenanthera peregrina) with the active ingredients DMT and bufotenin, which is inhaled via Y-shaped tubes. Cohoba and tobacco must therefore be strictly distinguished: One is a hallucinogenic ritual preparation, the other a stimulant and medicinal plant that was smoked and snuffed. Please read the fact check below.

How did tobacco get to Cuba?

Botanically, cultivated smoking tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is a hybrid of N. sylvestris (maternal line) and N. tomentosiformis (paternal line), which originated in the Andes region of South America. Genome studies confirm this origin. From there, tobacco spread northwards long before 1492 - via trade and migration networks of Arawak-speaking groups to the Greater Antilles. Cultivated plants, knowledge and ritual practices, including smoking, travelled with them to Cuba.

From bundles of smoke to Habanos culture

The indigenous practice of smoking was therefore established in Cuba when Columbus landed. What later became the Habanos culture - elaborate cultivation, sophisticated fermentation and skilful rolling - emerged under colonial conditions and developed over centuries into a cultural technique in its own right. The path from dried leaf bundle to premium cigar shows how deeply prehistory and early history are intertwined.

⚠️ Fact check: „tabacos“, „Cohiba“, „cohoba“ - and why terms are often confused

1) „... llaman ellos tabacos“ (Las Casas): In the tradition of the Columbus Journal by Bartolomé de las Casas, the smoke rolls appear as „tabacos“. En Spanish paraphrase with original quote can be found here(with bibliographical reference to Las Casas). In addition, an English edition of the journal notes the observation of the „dried leaves rolled up“ (footnote)

2) Alternative finding (Oviedo): Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo describes the term „tabaco“ in connection with a Y-shaped inhalation instrument (snuffing or smoking device). See, among other things, the edition of his „Historia general y natural de las Indias“ at the Internet Archive and the bibliographic reference at BHL. // On the etymology debate, see the JSTOR article (1889)

3) Brand and industry narrative „Cohiba“: The official narrative of Habanos S.A. is that „Cohiba“ is an old Taíno word for the rolled leaves that Columbus’ men saw in 1492 - hence the „first name of tobacco“. Source 1 and Source 2.

4) Important difference word „cohoba“: „Cohoba“ refers to a ritual snuff powder (Yopo/Anadenanthera), which was drawn in through Y-shaped tubes - it is not tobacco. Solid quick reference: Encyclopaedia Britannica.

5) Conclusion on the history of the word: The etymology of „tabaco/tabaco“ is disputed in the specialist literature (role name vs. instrument name, possibly also place reference). The practice of smoking is undoubtedly documented before 1492; the later cigar processes (fermentation etc.) are colonial and modern refinements.

Continue in the series „History Cuba“

This was part 1 of the series „History Cuba“. → Continue to Part 2: Colonial rule and Chinchales → To the complete overview

Picture credits

Cover elements: ChatGPT
Image in text: ChatGPT

Curated for you

External website: Habanos Club Germany

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