The timpani (kettledrum) played a foundational role in Cuban music history as the original pitched drum of the 19th-century orquesta típica — before being replaced by the lighter timbales.
According to Wikipedia, timpani came to Cuba in the 19th century, for the wind orchestras (orquestas típicas) that played danzón and contradanza. According to EcuRed, the timpani is a kettle-shaped drum, originally from the East, used in classical music.
After that the timpani were replaced by pailas, made from metal cauldrons (see Timbales). According to Wikipedia, danzón orchestras still used both between 1900 and 1930, and both were called timbales. In the early 20th century the smaller charanga, with its pailas, superseded the orquestas típicas.
The transition from timpani to timbales is a microcosm of Cuban music history: European orchestral instruments being adapted, creolized, and transformed to serve Afro-Cuban rhythm and dance. The timbre changed from a booming concert-hall drum to a sharp, cutting percussion voice suited to dance floors.
Timpani are not used in modern Cuban popular music or timba. Their legacy lives on indirectly through the timbales, which carry the same lineage — originally a stand-mounted, tuned metal drum brought into service for Cuban dance music.
In classical music contexts, timpani remain in Cuban symphony orchestras and conservatory training.