Plaza Sarmiento is a
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. ...
(urban square) in the city of
Rosario,
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Santa Fe,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. Its name is an homage to former
Argentine president Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...
.
Plaza Sarmiento is located in a strategic location within the Rosario downtown area, and serves as a transport node for many urban and short-distance interurban bus lines. It occupies almost two blocks, defined by San Luis St., Entre Ríos St., Mendoza St. and Corrientes St. It is divided by San Juan St. (running east–west). It features a monument crowned by a statue of Sarmiento, known as a pioneer and promoter of
public education in Argentina. The only route of the
Rosario trolleybus system, line K, passes through Plaza Sarmiento.
The plaza currently hosts an outdoors artisans' fair several days each week.
History
The area where the current plaza is located at present was formerly occupied by a small lagoon (''Laguna Sánchez''). In 1867 the
governor of Santa Fe
The Governor of Santa Fe ( es, Gobernador de la Provincia de Santa Fe) is a citizen of Santa Fe Province, in Argentina, holding the office of governor for the corresponding period. Currently the governor of Santa Fe is Omar Perotti, of the Justicia ...
,
Nicasio Oroño
Nicasio V. Oroño (July 20, 1825 in Coronda, Santa Fe – October 12, 1904 in Santa Fe) was an Argentine politician and lawyer, and governor of Santa Fe between 1865 and 1868.
Youth in the military
Oroño was born to Unitarian Coronel Santiago ...
, upon a request of the municipal government, ordered the terrain to be
expropriated
Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...
and four blocks to be set aside to establish a public square. In 1874 the Deliberative Council of Rosario requested terrain plans to be made for the future square, called Plaza Urquiza. The lagoon was emptied and refilled with earth.
The square was officially declared a public plaza on 16 March 1875. A strip of land on the southern edge was given to the national state for the construction of Normal School No. 1. The rest of the southern block was named Plaza Iriondo, although the public referred to it as Plaza Santa Rosa. The monument and statue of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, in the center of the plaza, which was to carry Sarmiento's name, was inaugurated on 20 December 1911. The sculptor was
Victor de Pol.
External links
Plaza Domingo Faustino Sarmiento by ''lu6fpj'' — Picture and description, on
Flickr
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and profession ...
.
{{coord, 32.94947, S, 60.642541, W, display=title
Plazas in Rosario, Santa Fe