Trinidad was founded by Diego Velazquez in 1514 as Cubas third European colonial settlement. Initially it prospered as a gold-mining centre, and also as a base of operations for the conquistador Hernan Cortes during his 1518 invasion and conquest of Mexico. Subsequently, Havana replaced Trinidad as the main base for Spanish operations against the Central American mainland, but by this time the fertile soil around Trinidad was already replacing locally mined and Mexican gold with sugar cane.