Plaza de armas (pl. plazas de armas; literally arms square or place-of-arms) is a Spanish term commonly used to refer to town squares in Latin America, Spain and the Philippines, as well as a name commonly given to them; some examples also being found in North America. In the central region of Mexico this space is known as the Zócalo and in Central America as the Parque Central (central park). While some large cities have both a plaza de armas and a plaza mayor, in most cities those are two names for the same place. [1] [2]
Most cities constructed by the Spanish conquistadores were designed in a standard military fashion, based on a grid pattern [3] 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. [4] [5] 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.
Tenochtitlan, also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was a large Mexican altepetl in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear, but the date 13 March 1325 was chosen in 1925 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the city. The city was built on an island in what was then Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico. The city was the capital of the expanding Aztec Empire in the 15th century until it was captured by the Tlaxcaltec and the Spanish in 1521.
Cusco or Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; in 2017, it had a population of 428,450. Its elevation is around 3,400 m (11,200 ft).
Apurímac is a department in southern-central Peru. It is bordered on the east by the Department of Cusco, on the west by the Department of Ayacucho, and on the south by the Arequipa and Ayacucho departments. The department's name originates from the Quechua language and means "where the gods speak" in reference to the many mountains of the region that seem to be talking to each other.
The Plaza de Armas of Ayacucho is in the city center of Ayacucho, Peru. Central plazas in Peru are typically called the Plaza Mayor. The Plaza de Armas is so named because it was the place where the city's defenders assembled during emergencies. In Ayacucho it is known as Sucre Park.
The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa it's located in the Main Square "Plaza de Armas" of the city of Arequipa, province of Arequipa, Peru. It is the most important Catholic church of the city and also of the larger Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Arequipa since it is the base of the archbishop and the metropolitan council. The cathedral is also considered one of Peru's most unusual and famous colonial cathedrals since the Spanish conquest.
Zócalo is the common name of the main square in central Mexico City. Prior to the colonial period, it was the main ceremonial center in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Square", and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución. This name does not come from any of the Mexican constitutions that have governed the country but rather from the Cádiz Constitution, which was signed in Spain in the year 1812. Even so, it is almost always called the Zócalo today. Plans were made to erect a column as a monument to independence, but only the base, or zócalo, was built. The plinth was buried long ago, but the name has lived on. Many other Mexican towns and cities, such as Oaxaca, Mérida, and Guadalajara, have adopted the word zócalo to refer to their main plazas, but not all.
Don Garcí Manuel de Carbajal was a Spanish lieutenant and occasional soldier who founded the city of Arequipa in Peru on 15 August 1540, calling it "La Villa Hermosa de Arequipa." Carbajal was born in Plasencia, Extremadura, Spain and explored present-day Arequipa as an emissary of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro.
Club Cienciano, more commonly known as Cienciano, is a Peruvian professional football club based in Cusco, that currently plays in the Peruvian Primera División. It gained worldwide recognition after defeating River Plate in the finals of the 2003 Copa Sudamericana and Boca Juniors in the 2004 Recopa Sudamericana. The club is considered the largest and most successful in Cusco. Founded in 1901, the club is among the oldest in Peru and the oldest in Cusco.
The Inti Raymi is a traditional religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti, the most venerated deity in Inca religion. It was the celebration of the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year in terms of the time between sunrise and sunset – and the Inca New Year, when the hours of light would begin to lengthen again. Celebrated on June 24, the Inti Raymi was the most important festival of the Inca Empire, as described by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and took place in the Haukaypata, the main square of Cusco.
The tradition and art of heraldry first appeared in Spain at about the beginning of the eleventh century AD and its origin was similar to other European countries: the need for knights and nobles to distinguish themselves from one another on the battlefield, in jousts and in tournaments. Knights wore armor from head to toe and were often in leadership positions, so it was essential to be able to identify them on the battlefield.
Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain, its provinces, and former colonies.
The Cathedral of Cusco or Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption is the main temple of the city of Cusco, in Peru and houses the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Cusco. The Cathedral Basilica of Cusco, together with the Triunfo temple make up the Cathedral Complex, it is located in the northeast sector of the current Plaza de Armas of Cusco. In the place that, during the Inca period, was occupied by both the Suntor Wassi and the Kisoarkancha or Palace of the eighth Inca Viracocha. The complex occupies an area of 3,920 square meters and is the most important religious monument in the Historic Center of Cusco.
Arequipa, also known by its nicknames of Ciudad Blanca and León del Sur, is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous province and department. 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 in Peru, after the capital Lima, with an urban population of 1,296,278 inhabitants according to the 2017 national census.
Plaza Satélite is a shopping mall in the northwest part of Greater Mexico City in Ciudad Satélite on the Anillo Periferico ring road. Opened on October 13, 1971, it was Mexico's first American-style shopping mall. It has over 240 stores and services.
Plaza de Armas of Trujillo is the main square where the Spanish foundation of Trujillo was made, in northern Peru. It has been the principal locus of history in this city in the republic era. It is located in the central zone of the Historic Centre of Trujillo. In the streets that form this main square are located the buildings of Municipality Palace, the Cathedral, among others. The Plaza de Armas of Trujillo is formed by the Pizarro, Independencia, Orbegoso and Almagro streets. In this square, the proclamation of the independence of Trujillo took place.
The Cuzco Rebellion of 1814 was an episode of the Peruvian War of Independence led by the Angulo brothers and Mateo Pumacahua that took place in much of the province of Cuzco, including Huamanga, Arequipa and Puno, as well as part of the province of Charcas. The uprising involved the proclamation of the autonomy and self-government of Cuzco from the Viceroyalty of Peru, governed by Viceroy José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa. The junta was modelled and intended to follow the steps of the Junta of Buenos Aires.
Plaza de Roma, also known as Plaza Roma, is one of three major public squares in Intramuros, Manila. It is bounded by Andres Soriano Avenue to the north, Cabildo Street to the east, Santo Tomas Street to the south, and General Antonio Luna Street to the west. The plaza is considered to be the center of Intramuros.
The history of Cusco (Peru), the historical capital of the Incas.
The Plaza de Armas of Cusco is located in the city of Cusco, Peru. Located in the historic center of the city is the main public space of the town since before its Spanish foundation in 1534.
The Romans elevated the plaza to a place of political power (the forum) within the city. Spain inherited the Roman concept of the city, and by the time of the Renaissance, her powerful kings were ready to build a new Spain, an empire across the ocean, whose engine would be a system of cities and towns. At the microscale, these cities would be anchored by the spacial nucleus, the central place of power - the Plaza Mayor.
King Philip II of Spain, in his Royal Ordinances passed on the colonialists in 1573, decreed that the central public square, or Plaza de Armas, would serve as the fulcrum of colonial town life, and the main nexus for important public and religious buildings.