In the history of all empires, it has proved difficult to enslave the local population for the benefit of foreign invaders. The indigenous inhabitants refuse to work, die off or leave to go elsewhere. Slaves have to be brought in from outside. The Indians of Cuba proved no exception to this. Many had been massacred during the punitive expedition of Pánfilo, but many simply withdrew their labour and disappeared into the hills.
The history of empires shows that subjugating local populations is challenging for foreign conquerors. Indigenous people often resist enslavement, resulting in their refusal to work, a decline in their numbers, or migration to avoid oppression. This pattern holds true for the indigenous inhabitants of Cuba, who faced significant devastation during the punitive actions led by Pánfilo, leading to a decline in their population.
Despite the violence, many of the Cuban Indians chose to escape into the hills rather than submit to foreign control. This highlights the resilience of local communities in the face of invasion, illustrating that invaders often have to resort to bringing in external slaves to meet labor demands, as local populations tend to resist exploitation vehemently.