The ''Plaza de Armas'' (literally Weapons Square, but better translated as Parade Square or
parade ground) is the name for
Latin American main squares. In the central region of
Mexico this space is known as El
Zócalo and in
Central America as Parque Central (Central Park). While some large cities have both a Plaza de Armas and a
Plaza Mayor
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 most cities those are two names for the same place.
Most cities constructed by the Spanish ''
conquistadores'' were designed in a standard military fashion, based on a
grid pattern
In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid.
Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogo ...
taken from the
Roman ''
castrum'', of which one block would be left vacant to form the Plaza de Armas. It is often surrounded by governmental buildings, churches, and other structures of cultural or political significance.
The name derives from the fact that this would be a refuge in case of an attack upon the city, from which arms would be supplied to the defenders.
Main examples of Plaza de Armas in the Hispanic world
*Plaza de Armas of
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
*Plaza de Armas of
Arequipa
Arequipa (; Aymara and qu, Ariqipa) is a city and capital of province and the eponymous department of Peru. It is the seat of the Constitutional Court of Peru and often dubbed the "legal capital of Peru". It is the second most populated city ...
, Peru
*
Plaza de Armas of
Ayacucho, Peru
*Plaza de Armas of
Cajamarca
Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...
, Peru
*
Plaza de Armas of
Cusco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...
, Peru
*Plaza de Armas of
Huánuco, Peru
*Plaza de Armas of
Ambo, Peru
Ambo ( qu, Ampuq) is a town in central Peru. Ambo is the capital of the province Ambo in the region Huánuco.
It was the birthplace of Bishop Ricardo Durand Flórez, third Bishop of Callao
Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of ...
*
Plaza de Armas of
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, Mexico
*Plaza de Armas of
Havana, Cuba
*
Plaza de Armas of
Lima, Peru
*
Plaza de Armas of
Manila, Philippines
*Plaza de Armas of
Pisco, Peru
Pisco ( qu, Pisqu) is a city located in the Department of Ica of Peru, the capital of the Pisco Province. The city is around 9 metres (28 feet) above sea level. Pisco was founded in 1640, close to the indigenous emplacement of the same name. Pisco ...
*
Plaza de Armas of
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...
, Mexico
*
Plaza de Armas of
San Antonio, United States
*
Plaza de Armas of
San Juan, Puerto Rico
*
Plaza de Armas of
Santiago, Chile
*
Plaza de Armas of
Trujillo, Peru
*Plaza de Armas of
Asunción,
Paraguay
*Plaza de Armas of
Santo Domingo,
República Dominicana
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
Public transit stations
*
Plaza de Armas metro station
Plaza de Armas is a transfer station between the Line 3 and Line 5 of the Santiago Metro. It is located under the Plaza de Armas of Santiago. The Line 5 station was opened on 3 March 2000 as part of the extension of the line from Baquedano to S ...
in Santiago, Chile
*
Plaza de Armas (bus station)
Plaza de Armas ( en, Barrack Square) is an international bus station of the city of Seville. It is located at the intersection of the avenue ''Cristo de la Expiración'' and ''Torneo St.'', in the district of El Centro, Seville, Casco Antiguo. It w ...
in Seville, Spain
Image:Pileta plaza.JPG, ''Plaza de Armas'' in Arequipa, Peru.
Image:Sevilla2005Julio 029.jpg, ''Plaza de Armas'', Seville (Spain).
Image:Fort Santiago (17293341425).jpg, ''Plaza de Armas'' in Fort Santiago, Manila, Philippines.
Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Perú, 2015-07-31, DD 53-56 PAN.jpg, Plaza de Armas, Cusco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...
, Peru.
See also
*
Place-d'Armes (disambiguation) Place d'Armes may refer to
* Place d'Armes (Luxembourg), a square in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
* Place-d'Armes, Paris, France
* Place d'Armes, in Montreal, Canada, an urban square
** Place-d'Armes (Montreal Metro), a transit station
**Le 500 P ...
, French equivalent
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaza De Armas
Town squares
Parade grounds