Pirates, those book or movie characters with a leather shield in their eyes, their folded sleeve shirts, a band in their head, earrings, and their boarding saber in their waist, they had their kingdom in waters of the Caribbean Sea, and they left their trace in Cuba. That is why, a trip to that Caribbean Island is so interesting.

The impact of the American region for those Europeans was fundamental when deciding likes and wishes, that is why, a vast amount of pirates, buccaneers, filibusters or corsairs, decided to live in an isolated island in this region, or simply in a town that would be in time a very populated one.

Cuba was a starting point for some pursue, boat sinking and naval battles, which brought about the fact that the islte’s bottoms hold boat pieces with traces that tell about those times.

A convulsed marine life, between the XVI and XVII centuries, brought about frecuent journeys in search for hauls that were not only related to the gold gathering or other treasures taken by the European metropolis from America, but stealing slave shipment.

The European coasts were constantly threatened by the pirates, until Havana was “taken” by the British in 1762, that brought about a greater trade by the British fleet around the area which forced pirates to plan better their ploy, whose myth vanished with the passing time.

Even, many boat captains that used to be pirates, changed their practice until they became merchandise carriers, and some of them definitely settled down in Caribbean and Cuban coasts.?

As it is recalled, the French De Sores attacked Havana on July 10, 1555 and he retired after some fights, outrages and the demand for 30 thousand pesos and supplies to the governor.

John Hawkins, meanwhile, dedicated himself to the slave merchandise, and other goods such as gold, pearls and leather. He was named Knight by the Queen.

The women also had their part in this office, such as the cases of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, of course, they used to wear men clothes.

The French brothers Jean and Pierre Laffite had their history of more than a decade of outrages around the seas of the world, later on they tried hard to take African slaves to the New World.

The labor force was so needed overseas that they received a patent for those journeys in 1820, that way they made official their search for shipment and sailing around America.

Like some other colleagues, there was a period when that work faded and Pierre setteled in Havana, in a very populated site nowadays that covers the area of 10 de Octubre and Correa, at Santo Suarez neighborhood.

He barely enjoyed the purchase of a piece of land there, since he died in one of his attacks offshore the Mexican coasts, according to the historical register of those times.

Pirates and corsairs did influence little by little the fortresses building system and the concept of military defense in the Island.