1791-Jun.-18: Governor Juan Baptista Vaillant of Cuba submitted a general summary of the inhabitants of Santiago de Cuba and its surrounding territory.

1791-Jun.-18: Governor Juan Baptista Vaillant of Cuba submitted a general summary of the inhabitants of Santiago de Cuba and its surrounding territory. The census highlighted the diverse demographic makeup of the eastern province, which included a large number of free people of color. Vaillant noted the presence of numerous small anchorages along the coast that were used by coasting vessels and smugglers. These geographic features made the region particularly difficult to police and prone to the “contagion” of radical ideas from Saint-Domingue. The report emphasized the strategic importance of monitoring the movements of the mobile black population in eastern Cuba.