Plaza de Armas

Last updated
Design for Santiago, Chile, 1541 Plaza de mayor.jpg
Design for Santiago, Chile, 1541

The Plaza de Armas (literally Weapons Square, but better translated as Parade Square or parade ground) is a common name given to given to public squares in Latin America, Spain and the Philippines. There are also examples of squares with that name in North America. 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, in most cities those are two names for the same place. [1] [2]

Contents

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.

Main examples of Plaza de Armas in the Hispanic world

Public transit stations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luzon</span> Island in the Philippines

Luzon is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as well as Quezon City, the country's most populous city. With a population of 64 million as of 2021, it contains 52.5% of the country's total population and is the 4th most populous island in the world. It is the 15th largest island in the world by land area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cusco</span> City in Peru

Cusco or Cuzco, 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 seventh most populous in Peru; in 2017, it had a population of 428,450. Its elevation is around 3,400 m (11,200 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Apurímac</span> Departments of Peru

Apurímac is a department and region in southern-central Peru. It is bordered on the east by the Cusco Region, on the west by the Ayacucho Region, and on the south by the Arequipa and Ayacucho regions. The region'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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intramuros</span> District of Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines

Intramuros, is the 0.67-square-kilometer (0.26 sq mi) historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacsayhuamán</span> Archaeological site near Cusco, Peru

Sacsayhuamán, often spelled Saqsaywaman or Xacxaguaman,, is a citadel on the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco, Peru, the historic capital of the Inca Empire. The site is at an altitude of 3,701 m (12,142 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa</span>

The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa is located in the "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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garcí Manuel de Carbajal</span>

Don Garcí Manuel de Carbajal was a Spanish lieutenant and occasional soldier who founded the city of Arequipa in Peru on August 15, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lima District</span> District in Lima, Peru

Lima is a district of Lima Province in Peru. Lima district is the oldest in Lima Province and as such, vestiges of the city's colonial era remain today in the historic centre of Lima, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and contains the foundational area known as Cercado de Lima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Colonial architecture</span> Architectural style present in regions colonized by Spain in the 14th-18th centuries

Spanish Colonial architecture represents Spanish colonial influence on New World and East Indies' cities and towns, and it is still seen in the architecture as well as in the city planning aspects of conserved present-day cities. These two visible aspects of the city are connected and complementary. The 16th-century Laws of the Indies included provisions for the layout of new colonial settlements in the Americas and elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Baroque architecture</span> Architecture of the Baroque era in Spain and its former colonies

Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain, its provinces, and former colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cusco Cathedral</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arequipa</span> Region capital in Peru

Arequipa 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 Lima, with an urban population of 1,296,278 inhabitants according to the 2017 national census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Satélite</span>

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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza de Roma</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liwasang Bonifacio</span>

The Liwasang Bonifacio, also known by its former name, Plaza Lawton, is a city square and transport hub in front of the Manila Central Post Office in the Ermita district of Manila, Philippines. It lies at the south end of Jones Bridge, MacArthur Bridge, and Quezon Bridge that link the northern districts of Binondo, Santa Cruz, and Quiapo to the central district of Ermita. The plaza straddles the dividing line between Ermita and Intramuros and is the starting point of Padre Burgos Avenue which connects to Taft Avenue and Roxas Boulevard in Rizal Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Metro Manila</span> Overview of and topical guide to Metro Manila

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Metro Manila:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Cusco</span> History of a Peruvian city

The history of Cusco (Peru), the historical capital of the Incas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza de Armas (Cusco)</span> Square in Cusco, Peru

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.

References

  1. "Profes.net". 2013-10-07. Archived from the original on 2013-10-07. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  2. Edward L. Jackiewicz, Fernando J. Bosco (2020). Placing Latin America: Contemporary Themes in Geography (via Google Books) (4th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 68. ISBN   9781538126318 . Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  3. Herzog, Lawrence A. (2001). From Aztec to High Tech: Architecture and Landscape Across the Mexico-United States Border (via Google Books) (reprint ed.). JHU Press. p. 27. ISBN   9780801866432 . Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  4. Herzog, Lawrence A. (1 May 2006). Return to the Center: Culture, Public Space, and City Building in a Global Era (Google Books). University of Texas Press. p. 116. ISBN   9780292712621 . Retrieved 10 March 2021. 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.
  5. Herzog, Lawrence A. (2001). From Aztec to High Tech: Architecture and Landscape Across the Mexico-United States Border (via Google Books) (reprint ed.). JHU Press. p. 169. ISBN   9780801866432 . Retrieved 10 March 2021. 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.