 In 1560, a Spanish garrison was posted near the foot of the Laventille Hills, which today form the city's eastern boundary.The part of today's downtown Port of Spain closest to the sea was once an area of tidal mudflats covered by mangroves.The first Spanish buildings here, in the 16th and 17th centuries, were open mud-plastered ajoupas, interspersed between large silk cotton trees and other trees.