Why did Spain leave the Caribbean untouched?

Spain did not leave the Caribbean untouched during the Age of Exploration or thereafter. In fact, Christopher Columbus first claimed Caribbean islands, including Cuba and Puerto Rico, for Spain. As a result, thousands of indigenous peoples, including the Taino, were enslaved and decimated by diseases like smallpox. Spain established dozens of Caribbean colonies and remained among the dominant European powers even after the loss of Jamaica to England in the eighteenth century. Cuba and Puerto Rico in particular remained under Spanish control until the Spanish-American War in 1898 resulted in limited independence for Cuba and U.S. territorial status for Puerto Rico. Throughout the eighteenth century, the Caribbean was fiercely contested between Spain, England, and France. The fact that England largely prevailed in these struggles may explain why we do not think of the region as Spanish in character, but the fact is that the Caribbean experienced Spanish influence before, and perhaps even more profoundly, than any other region in the Americas during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.