In 1942, Spain became the first European nation to traverse the Atlantic Ocean and establish colonies in the Amerindian nations of the Western Hemisphere. The empire the Spaniards formed stretched all the way from Virginia in the United States to the tip of South America. Spain’s empire eventually began to crumble and they relinquished control of many of their territories by 1825. The only territories they still exerted clout over in the Western Hemisphere were Cuba and Puerto Rico. After mainland Latin America was liberated from the influence of Spain, Cuba sought to free itself from the binds of Spain. From 1868-1878, guerilla fighters known as mambises fought for independence from Spain. The war ended with an often unenforced treaty, leaving
