In 1607 Philip III created the Captaincy General of Cuba as part of larger plans to defend the Caribbean against foreign threats.
The first captain general was Pedro Valdés.
Around the same time other captaincies general were established in Puerto Rico (1580) and Central America (1609).
Cuba was divided into two governorships with capitals in Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
The governor of Havana was Captain General of the island.
In 1650 Cuba received a large influx of refugees when the British conquered Jamaica and expelled the Spanish residents there.

In 1756 the construction of ships for the Spanish Navy began with the establishment of an Intendancy of the Navy was established in Havana, which functioned as a royal shipyard.

The British conquest of the island in 1762 during the Seven Years' War proved to be a turning point in the history of Cuba and Spanish America in general.
The British captured Havana after a three-month siege and controlled the western part of the island for a year.
Britain returned Cuba in exchange for Florida in the Treaty of Paris (1763).
The events revealed not only the weaknesses of the region's defenses but also proved just how much the Cuban economy had been neglected by the Spanish.
During the year they controlled Cuba, the British conducted an unprecedented amount of trade with the island.
A year earlier France had secretly ceded Louisiana to Spain in compensation for its losses as its ally during the war.

As a sign of the seriousness with which the government took the problems, the very year the Spanish retook control of Havana construction began on what would become the largest Spanish fort in the New World, San Carlos de la Cabaña on the eastern side of the entrance to harbor of Havana.
In 1607 Philip III created the Captaincy General of Cuba as part of larger plans to defend the Caribbean against foreign threats. The first captain general was Pedro Valdés. Around the same time other captaincies general were established in Puerto Rico (1580) and Central America (1609). Cuba was divided into two governorships with capitals in Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The governor of Havana was Captain General of the island. In 1650 Cuba received a large influx of refugees when the British conquered Jamaica and expelled the Spanish residents there.
In 1756 the construction of ships for the Spanish Navy began with the establishment of an Intendancy of the Navy was established in Havana, which functioned as a royal shipyard.
The British conquest of the island in 1762 during the Seven Years' War proved to be a turning point in the history of Cuba and Spanish America in general. The British captured Havana after a three-month siege and controlled the western part of the island for a year. Britain returned Cuba in exchange for Florida in the Treaty of Paris (1763). The events revealed not only the weaknesses of the region's defenses but also proved just how much the Cuban economy had been neglected by the Spanish. During the year they controlled Cuba, the British conducted an unprecedented amount of trade with the island. A year earlier France had secretly ceded Louisiana to Spain in compensation for its losses as its ally during the war.
As a sign of the seriousness with which the government took the problems, the very year the Spanish retook control of Havana construction began on what would become the largest Spanish fort in the New World, San Carlos de la Cabaña on the eastern side of the entrance to harbor of Havana.
Captaincy General of Cuba