Between 1514 and 1519 the Spanish established at least two settlements on the north coast, one of them in ''La Chorrera'', today in the neighborhoods of Vedado and Miramar, next to the Almendares River. The town that became Havana finally originated adjacent to what was then called ''Puerto de Carenas'' (literally, "Careening Bay"), in 1519. The quality of this natural bay, which now hosts Havana's harbor, warranted this change of location.