Spanish West Indies

Spanish West Indies
Las Antillas Occidentales Antillas Españolas
Colony of Spain (Territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1492 to 1898
1492–1898
Flag Coat of arms
A map of the Spanish West Indies
Capital		Santo Domingo (1511–1764)
Languages		Spanish
Religion		Roman Catholicism
Political structure		Colony
Monarch
•	1492–1504	Ferdinand II
•	1492–1504	Isabella I
•	1896–1898	Alfonso XIII
Historical era		Spanish colonization
•	Established	1492
•	Treaty of Paris	1898
Currency		Spanish colonial real
Preceded by Succeeded by New Spain Bay Islands Colony of Jamaica Cayman Islands Saint-Domingue Trinidad Dominican Republic United States Protectorate over Cuba Puerto Rico
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The Spanish West Indies (also known as "Las Antillas Occidentales" or simply "Antillas Españolas" in Spanish) was the contemporary name for the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. It became a territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain when the viceroyalty was created in 1535.

It consisted of the present day nations of Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, Guadalupe and the Lesser Antilles, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Trinidad, and the Bay Islands.

The islands that later became the Spanish West Indies were the focus of the voyages of Christopher Columbus in America. Largely due to the familiarity that Europeans gained from Columbus's voyages, the islands were also the first lands to be permanently colonized by Europeans in the Americas. The Spanish West Indies were also the most enduring part of Spain's American Empire, only being surrendered in 1898 at the end of the Spanish–American War. For over three centuries, Spain controlled a network of ports in the Caribbean including Havana (Cuba), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), and Veracruz (Mexico) which were connected by galleon routes.

Some smaller islands were ceded to other European powers as a result of war, or diplomatic agreements during the 17th and 18th centuries. Others such as Dominican Republic gained their independence in the 19th century.

Change of sovereignty or independence

• The Bay Islands were ceded to England in 1643 and then to Honduras in 1861.
• Colony of Santiago—Jamaica was lost to England in 1655, confirmed in the Treaty of Madrid (1670).
• The Cayman Islands were lost to England in the Treaty of Madrid (1670).
• Haiti (western Hispaniola) was lost to France in the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 (Saint-Domingue).
• Trinidad was lost to Britain during the Invasion of Trinidad (1797), confirmed in the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
• Captaincy General of Santo Domingo (eastern Hispaniola) gained its independence from Spain as Spanish Haiti in 1821, then from Haiti as the Dominican Republic, and again from Spain in 1865.
• Captaincy General of Cuba was lost to the United States in 1898, after the Spanish–American War concluded by the Treaty of Paris (1898).
• Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was lost to the United States in 1898, after the Spanish–American War concluded by the Treaty of Paris (1898).

Spanish Caribbean

Location of the Spanish Caribbean.

The Spanish Caribbean or Hispanophone Caribbean, refers to the Spanish-speaking areas in the Caribbean Sea, namely Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. It includes regions where Spanish is the main language, and where a history of Spanish settlement and colonization influences culture, through religion, language, cuisine, and so on.

The term is used in contrast to Anglophone Caribbean and French Caribbean, two other cultural areas which refer to colonial heritage and language. The phrase, thus, excludes countries such as Jamaica, Haiti, and the Lesser Antilles. The Hispanophone Caribbean is a part of the wider Hispanic America, which includes all the Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas.

Historically, during the period of Spanish settlement and colonization of the New World, the Spanish West Indies referred to those settlements in islands of the Caribbean Sea under political administration of Spain, as in the phrase "a 1765 cedula authorized seven sea ports, in addition to the port of San Juan, to trade with the Spanish Caribbean." Until the early 19th century these territories were part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

In addition to Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the Islands of Venezuela could be included as well, due to the fact they are in the Caribbean. The Islands of Venezuela are grouped into two divisions: the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela and the State of Nueva Esparta.

Islands

The following is a list of islands belonging geographically to the Greater and Lesser Antilles and that were under Spanish rule in various stages of history, until it became independent from Spain. Several islands which were previously largely under Spanish rule, but since they were passed into the domain of France, England or the Netherlands, are no longer considered part of the Spanish Caribbean.

West Indian islands that were under Spanish rule

Political entity	Islands of the West Indies	Status
Cuba	Isla de Cuba — Isla de la Juventud — Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago — Cayo Blanco del Sur — Cayo Levisa — Cayo Los Ensenachos — Cayo Largo del Sur — Jardines de la Reina — Cayo Guillermo — Cayo Coco — Cayo Romano — Cayo Guajaba — Cayo Sabinal — Cayo Santa María — Cayo Paredón Grande — Colorados Archipelago — Cayo Saetía — Cayo Blanco	Independent republic from Spain since 1898.
Dominican Republic	Eastern Hispaniola — Saona — Beata — Catalina — Alto Velo	Independent republic from Spain since 1865.
Puerto Rico	Isla de Puerto Rico — Culebra — Vieques — Mona — Monito — Desecheo — Caja de Muertos — Isla de Cabras — Cayo Batata — Isla Cardona — Cayos de Caña Gorda — Culebrita — Icacos — Cayo Luis Peña — Isla Magueyes — Cayo Norte — Isla Palominos — Isla de Ratones — Isleta de San Juan — Cayo Santiago — Spanish Virgin Islands	Commonwealth of the United States, independent from Spain since 1898.
Venezuela	Isla de Margarita — Coche — Cubagua (form the state of Nueva Esparta) Los Monjes — Las Aves — Los Roques (Gran Roque, Francisquí, Isla Larga, Nordisquí, Madrisquí, Crasquí, Cayo Espenquí, Cayo Carenero, Cayo de Agua, Dos Mosquises, Cayo Sal, Cayo Grande) — Los Hermanos — Los Frailes — Aves — La Sola — La Tortuga (Cayo Herradura — Islas Los Tortuguillos) — La Orchila — La Blanquilla — Los Testigos — Patos (ceded from British Trinidad in 1942, form the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela)	Independent republic from Spain since 1811, recognized by Spain in 1845.

See also

• American West Indies
• British West Indies
• Danish West Indies
• Dutch West Indies
• French West Indies
• Voyages of Christopher Columbus
• New Spain
• Spanish colonization of the Americas
• Spanish Main
• Spanish East Indies
• Spanish Empire
• Antillean Confederation
• Population history of American indigenous peoples

External links

• (English)(Spanish) "Method of Securing the Ports and Populations of All the Coasts of the Indies" was written in 1694 and discusses the Spanish West Indies