, also known as ''Plaza Matriz'', is the oldest

city square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in Montevideo,

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. Located in '' barrio'' Ciudad Vieja, since 1726 was the '' plaza mayor'' of the Fortress City of San Felipe and Santiago of Montevideo, in which it was the only open public space. It is the center of the city's historic district, and is surrounded by important buildings, such as the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Cabildo. It is, therefore, one of the most important tourist sites.

History

Founded in 1726, two years after the founding of Montevideo, the square was a dusty plain until the end of the 18th century, when buildings were built around it. From that moment on, official events and celebrations, both civil and military, were held in the space, as well as bullfights, since a bullring was located in the square. In 1851, the square was structured in a centralized way with diagonal paths lined with trees, paved and equipped with benches and lanterns. In 1868, construction began on a steam pumping plant and a 60km pipeline to supply the city with water. In addition, a fountain was built in the square to receive the water. On May 13, 1871, the water pumped from the

Santa Lucía River The Santa Lucía River ( es, Río Santa Lucía) is a river in Uruguay. Course The headwaters of the Santa Lucía River are in the Lavalleja department. For a large part of its course it forms the limit between the departments of Florida and Sa ...

to the Plaza Constitución arrived for the first time; Finally, the fountain was formally inaugurated by President

Lorenzo Batlle y Grau Lorenzo Cristóbal Manuel Batlle y Grau (August 10, 1810 in Montevideo – May 8, 1887 in Montevideo) was the president of Uruguay from 1868 to 1872. Family background and early career He was the son of a wealthy merchant loyal to the Spanis ...

on July 18. The fountain is a design by architect Juan Manuel Ferrari, and is composed of a circular pool with an ornate column at its center that takes the form of three dishes that open in decreasing size. In the center there are four griffins alternated with various symbolic elements, such as the

National Coat of Arms A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally ...

. In 2011 the central fountain was restored. It is currently the tourist and commercial axis of the ''barrio'' together with the Peatonal Sarandí. Nearby are offices, government buildings, banks, clothing stores, and cultural institutions.

Geography

Surrounding the square are the

Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral The Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de Montevideo) is the main Roman Catholic church of Montevideo, and seat of its archdiocese. It is located right in front of the Cabildo across Constitution Square, in the neig ...

, main

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

in the city to the west, and the Cabildo to the east. Also on the east is Casa Vaeza, headquarters of the National Party. To the south is the Peatonal Sarandí and Club Uruguay, while the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works are to the north.

Gallery

File:Kiosco en Montevideo.jpg, Characteristic kiosk of the city File:PlazaIndendenciaMontevideo1.jpg, Square name sign File:Gran Hotel Pyramides desde la Plaza Constitución.JPG, Building that housed the Pyramides Hotel File:J34 639 Plaza Matriz.jpg, View of the square from the southwest side File:Invierno colorido.JPG, Flea market in the square

References

External links

Ministry of Tourism

Intendencia de Montevideo
Squares in Montevideo Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo {{Uruguay-struct-stub