About Juventud Island

The island became known to Europeans after it was discovered by Columbus in 1494 and declared a Spanish territory.

The island for 300 years was a haven for pirates and is considered a possible prototype of Treasure Island, described by Robert Stevenson in his novel of the same name. As evidence is indicated, first, the presence of pine forests; second, a hill called Spyglass Pipe; third, the bay of Siguanea with a small island at its entrance; fourth, karst caves, one of which may have been the refuge of Ben Gunn; and fifth, the fact that the remains of a log fort, identified as a "blockhouse," were found on it.

After the victory of the United States in the Spanish-American War, Spain was forced to renounce its claim to Cuba. At the same time, the island was not mentioned in the agreement that defined Cuba's borders, causing disputes between the newly independent Cuba and the United States about the island's ownership. The Platt Amendment, included in the U.S.-Cuba agreement, excluded the island from Cuban jurisdiction. But in 1907 the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the island did not belong to the United States, and in 1925 a final agreement was signed between the United States and Cuba about its ownership.

In 1931, the Presidio Modelo prison was built on the island, where Fidel Castro was held from 1953 to 1955.

In 1955, the island was declared a free economic zone, which provided for duty-free imports of goods.

After the Cuban Revolution in the 1960s, youth squads arrived on the island to grow citrus fruits. A network of boarding schools was created, whose pupils had to study and work on the plantations. At the initiative of Fidel Castro, the island was renamed "Youth Island".