"The island of Cuba is three hundred leagues in extent from west to southeast, and in some places thirty, and in others forty, leagues from north to south...
[Cuba measures 750 miles along its axis on Google Earth,
TRUE RELATION OF THE HARDSHIPS SUFFERED BY GOVERNOR HERNANDO DE SOTO BY A GENTLEMAN OF ELVAS - 1557 sheds light on this. "A GENTLEMAN OF ELVAS," who was with DeSoto, states the following about his army in Cuba:
so 750 miles/300 leagues = 2.5 miles per league]
"From Santiago, the governor sent Don Carlos, his brother-in-law in the ships, together with Dona Isabel with orders to await him at the Havana... one hundred and eighty leagues from the city of Santiago...
[There are 467 miles from Santiago to Havana on Google Earth,
so 467 miles/180 leagues = 2.6 miles per league]
"The governor and those who remained with him bought horses and set out on their journey. The first town at which they arrived was the Bayamo... twenty-five leagues from the city of Santiago...
"From Bayamo to Puerto Principe it is fifty leagues...
"...(they) made their way to Sancti Spiritus, sixty leagues from Puerto Principe...
"They reached Sancti Spiritus... others went on twenty-five leagues farther to another town called Trinidad...
"From that town of Trinidad to Havana, there is a stretch of eighty leagues without a town, which they traveled."
It is 600 ROAD MILES from Santiago to Havana on Google Earth,
so 600 miles/240 leagues = 2.5 miles (10.5 KM) per league