Plaza de Mayo
| Plaza de Mayo | |
|---|---|
Wide angle view of Plaza de Mayo towards the Pirámide de Mayo and the Casa Rosada.
|
|
| Location | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Created | 1580 |
Coordinates: 34°36′30″S 58°22′19″W / 34.60833°S 58.37194°W
The Plaza de Mayo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈplasa ðe ˈmaʝo]; English: May Square) is the main square in the Monserrat barrio of central Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is flanked by Hipólito Yrigoyen, Balcarce, Rivadavia and Bolívar streets.
Since being the scene of the 25 May 1810 revolution that led to independence, the plaza has been a hub of political life in Argentina.
The modern plaza took form in 1884 when the colonnade separating the Plaza de la Victoria and the Plaza del Fuerte was demolished. Its origins, however, can be traced back to Juan de Garay's foundation of Buenos Aires itself, in 1580.
Newly arrived to the dusty riverbank settlement, Jesuit clergymen in 1608 secured a title to much of the 2 hectares (4.9 acres) lot, on which Garay's earlier plans for a central plaza had been abandoned. In 1661, the local governor purchased the eastern half for inclusion into the grounds of the city's new fort; this section soon became the Plaza de Armas
Following over a century of overuse and neglect, the local colonial government attempted to give a semblance of order to the plaza by having a colonnade built across it from north to south. Completed in 1804, the Romanesque structure became the plaza's market and the lot to the west of the colonnade became the Plaza de la Victoria.
...
Wikipedia