The Macroplaza or La Gran Plaza is a

town 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 square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

plaza 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. ...

located in the heart of the city of

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The Macroplaza is the fifth-largest plaza in the world and the largest Plaza in Mexico. It has an extension of 400,000 square metres consisting of various monuments, smaller plazas and gardens. The Macroplaza was built in the early 1980s during the governorship of

Alfonso Martínez Domínguez Alfonso Martínez Domínguez (January 7, 1922 – November 6, 2002) was a Mexican governor of Nuevo León from 1979 to 1985. Personal life Son of physician Alfonso Martinez de la Garza and Margarita Rafaela Dominguez Samaniego; grandson of ...

. The construction of the Macroplaza required the demolition of several old buildings and houses including a famous movie theater. One of the most iconic monuments of the city is the

Faro del Comercio Faro del Comercio is a monument designed by the accomplished Mexican architect Luis Barragán and constructed in 1984 by architect Raúl Ferrera. It is a recognizable sight in Monterrey among many other modern manmade landmarks, such as Neptune' ...

(Lighthouse of Commerce), a 70-meter-tall modern lighthouse located in the same plaza, equipped with a green laser, that shot its light around the city at nights.

Landmarks

The Macroplaza is very famous and its features are the following monuments, buildings and

pedestrian zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

s: *'' Palacio de Gobierno'', a neoclassical construction where the office of the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

is located. *''

'', a modern monument designed by architect

Luis Barragán Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín (March 9, 1902 – November 22, 1988) was a Mexican architect and engineer. His work has influenced contemporary architects visually and conceptually. Barragán's buildings are frequently visited by international ...

. At nights it shoots a green laser around the city. *'' Explanada de los Heroes'', a 19,400-square-meter esplanade located in front of the ''Palacio de Gobierno''. *''Jardín Hundido'' (aka ''Parque Hundido''), an almost hidden garden located in the heart of the Macroplaza featuring various monuments and a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or Spring (hydrology), spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. ...

. A

Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas design ...

, similar to that located in London's

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

, is located in the ''Jardín Hundido''. *''

Teatro de la Ciudad The (Theater of the City) was built as the (Esperanza Iris Theatre) in 1918 and is now one of Mexico City’s public venues for cultural events. The theater is located in the historic center of Mexico City on Donceles Street 36. The former Espe ...

''. *'' Biblioteca Fray Servando Teresa de Mier'', a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

. *'' Fuente de Neptuno'' (aka ''Fuente de la Vida''), a bronze fountain representing the Roman god

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

. *''Capilla de los Dulces Nombres'', a 19th-century

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 lette ...

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

. *''

Plaza Zaragoza The Plaza Zaragoza in Hermosillo is the main plaza. It is located in the historic centre of the city and is surrounded by important buildings such as the Catedral de la Asunción (Hermosillo's main church), the Palacio de Gobierno (house of the st ...

'', the old city plaza located between the Cathedral and the original

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

building (now the ''Museo Metropolitano de Monterrey''). *

Monterrey City Hall Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anc ...

(aka el ''Palacio de Cristal''), the headquarters of the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Monterrey. *'' Homenaje al Sol'', a monument designed by

Rufino Tamayo Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo (August 25, 1899 – June 24, 1991) was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico.Sullivan, 170-171Ades, 357 Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, ...

located at the southernmost point of the Macroplaza. The Macroplaza is surrounded by many buildings such as the Cathedral of Monterrey, the Latino tower (''Edificio Latino''), the Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey (MARCO), the Acero tower (''Edificio Acero''), The Metropolitan Museum (''Museo Metropolitano de Monterrey''), the Museum of Mexican History and the Museum of the Northwest but none of them are part of the Macroplaza.

Other nearby attractions

Other attractions within walking distance of the Macroplaza include the Morelos

pedestrian street Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

to the west, the ''Plaza de los 400 años'', the

Santa Lucia Riverwalk Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

to the east as well as the

Barrio Antiguo Popularly known as the Barrio Antiguo (Spanish ''old quarter'') comprise what is preserved from the historical quarter of the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Currently located next to the Government Palace and the Macroplaza, it originally ...

Transportation

The Macroplaza is accessible via

Monterrey Metro Metrorrey, officially Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey, is a light metro/rapid transit system in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Operations began in 1991. , the system operates 50 high-floor electric trains, along a total system of 40 st ...

, with the Zaragoza station located in the centre of the Macroplaza, near the ''Fuente de Neptuno''. The Macroplaza also includes a parking lot area.

References

{{Reflist Landmarks in Monterrey Plazas in Mexico Tourist attractions in Monterrey

Landmarks

Other nearby attractions

Transportation

See also

References