The
founding of
HavanaThe
current Havana area and its natural
bay were first visited by Europeans during
Sebastián de Ocampo's circumnavigation of
the island, in 1509. Shortly thereafter, in 1510, the first Spanish colonists arrived from La Hispaniola and thus the
Conquest of
Cuba began.
Conquistador Diego
Velázquez de
Cuéllar founded
Havana on
August 25, 1515 on the
southern coast of
the island, near the present town of Surgidero de Batabanó. Between 1514 and 1519,
the city had at least two different establishments. An
early map of
Cuba drawn up in 1514 places the town in the mouth of the river Onicaxinal, again on the
south coast of Cuba. Another
establishment was La Chorrera, which is today in the
neighbourhood of Puentes Grandes,
next to the Almendares River. The last establishment, commemorated by El Templete, was the sixth town founded by the Spanish on the
island, called
San Cristobal de la Habana by Pánfilo de Narváez: The
name combines
San Cristóbal, the patron saint of Havana, and Habana, origin obscure, possibly derived from Habaguanex, name of an Indian chief that controlled that
area, quoted by Diego Velasquez in his report to
the king of Spain. A legend narrates that Habana was the name of Habaguanex's
beautiful daughter,[5] but no known historical source corroborates this version.
; "Havana")
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