Criollos refers to people of Spanish descent born in the Americas.
To Cubans, the Spanish-American War is known by a completely different name. To them, it was the “War of Independence” or the “War of 1895–1898.” It was a historic fight for political, social, and economic independence from Spain. Streets and parks in Cuba still display the statues and names of the war’s national heroes.
Spain claimed Cuba as a colony shortly after Christopher Columbus’s first stop there in 1492. At first, Spanish boats carrying gold from Mexico and South America stopped in Havana, Cuba’s main port. They picked up