Habaguanex

{{short description|Taino Cacique in Cuba}}

Habaguanex was a Native American (Taíno) chief (cacique) who controlled the area of Havana, Cuba.

History

In the early 1500s, the indigenous Taíno people of Havana, Cuba, were led by their cacique (tribal chieftain), Habaguanex.{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/man-who-saved-havana-180968735/|title=The Man Who Saved Havana|author=Tony Perrottet|website=smithsonianmag.com|access-date=2025-05-10}}

San Cristóbal de La Habana, the name given to Cuba's capital in 1519, is believed to reference the local chief's name.{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2023/countries/cuba/|title=Cuba - The World Factbook|website=cia.gov|access-date=2025-05-10}}{{cite news|title=Cuba's Handsome Capital Caribbean's Largest City|newspaper=The Moncton Transcript|date =August 22, 1959|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1104567862/?match=1&terms=Habaguanex%20chief}} Theories suggest that the name combined San Cristóbal—honoring the patron saint of travelers—with the chief's name, adjusted to Spanish phonetics.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.es/sociedad/esta-hipotesis-mas-extendida-sobre-origen-nombre-habana-hpe1.html|title=Esta es la hipótesis más extendida sobre el origen del nombre de La Habana|website=huffingtonpost.es|access-date=2025-05-10}}

The national hospitality agency, Habaguanex S.A., is named after him.{{cite news|title=Millions more needed to keep restoration going|newspaper=South Florida Sun Sentinel|date =May 24, 1998|page=96|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/239002076/?match=1&terms=Habaguanex%20S.A.%20chief}}

See also

References