Independence Square (Port of Spain) Independence Square (Port of Spain) Independence Square lies near to southern end of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Formerly named Marine Square, it was renamed in honour of Trinidad and Tobago's independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. The Square runs from east to west and is bounded on the north side by King Street (the southern street bears the name of the square). The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception lies at the eastern end of the Square (although the roadways bounding the square continue past the cathedral). The western portion of the Square forms the Brian
Port of Spain Spanish settlers, who established a port here: "Puerto de los Españoles", later "Puerto de España". 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. The fort was a mud-walled enclosure with a shack inside, a flagpole, two or three cannon, and few