Plaza de Armas (Santiago)

Coordinates: 33°26′16″S 70°39′01″W / 33.43791°S 70.65036°W / -33.43791; -70.65036
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Plaza de Armas.

The Plaza de Armas is the

are located a short walk from the square.

The square, the nearby former National Congress building and surrounding buildings were registered on 3 December 1986 as a national monument as a zona típica.[1]

History

The church is the centerpiece of the initial layout of Santiago, which has a square

grid pattern. This urban design was accomplished by Pedro de Gamboa, who was appointed by Pedro de Valdivia in 1541.[1]

Pre Hispanic Period (Pre Colonisation)

The Investigator

Universidad Andrés Bello provided evidence in 1976,[2] arguing that under the old city of Santiago where the Plaza de Armas is situated there is an old Inca settlement.[3][4]

There would have been a Tawantinsuyu (Inca Empire) urban centre, under the old city of Santiago, from which Inca roads went out in different directions and whose base of sustenance was hydro-agriculture and gold and silver mining, [...] the infrastructure of this installation would have been used by (the Spanish conqueror) Pedro de Valdivia to found the city of Santiago.

Spanish Colonial Period

The Chilean Capital was founded by

Cancha
inca.

Around the plaza formed recovas or markets, as goods arrived in this area during the Colonial period. In the middle there was , galley para hang the sentenced and show royal power.[9]


Freedom of Latin America monument

The monument is located at the center of the square and depicts an allegory of Freedom, with a woman breaking the chains of a native woman. It is made of Carrara marble and sculpted by Francesco Orselino.[10] The monument replaced a bronze fountain made in 1671, which is presently located in La Moneda Palace.[11]

Other commemorative structures include an equestrian statue of Pedro de Valdivia, a statue of James the Great, the indigenous peoples monument, a time capsule, and ground plaques, including that marking the kilometre zero of Santiago.

Entorno

Historical Depiction of the Plaza de Armas
Modern Photos of the Plaza
Plaza de Armas - Portal Fernandez Concha before 1928 reformation


On the west side of the square, on the northwest corner, is the Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago. Although the first construction of a church was carried out in conjunction with the founding of the city, the present building is the fifth to be built on the site. Construction began in 1748 and was completed in 1775. However, in 1780, the architect Joaquín Toesca designed a new façade for the Cathedral and the adjoining Iglesia del Sagrario. At the end of the century Ignacio Cremonesi was commissioned by Bishop Casanova to carry out an integral remodelling of the cathedral, which included new façades, a modification of the interior nave and the construction of two towers facing the square and a dome over the main altar.

Facing the north side of the Plaza are the old colonial government buildings. From west to east, the

Museo Histórico Nacional and the Ilustre Municipalidad de Santiago
are located.

The building of the

Palace of La Moneda
. However, a fire almost completely destroyed the building, and it was restored in 1881, giving it the neoclassical style it has today. In 1903 a third floor and an upper dome were built.

The

Independence of Chile it was the seat of various ministries until they were moved to La Moneda, as was the presidential residence. In 1982 the current museum
was opened, bringing together various historical collections.

The building of the Municipality occupies the site where the colonial

jail
, built between 1578 and 1647, were originally built. In 1679, the second construction of the building was demolished and rebuilt by Toesca, now in neoclassical styles in 1790. A fire in 1891 forced a reconstruction by the architect Eugenio Joannon, and the new building was inaugurated in 1895 and officially declared the seat of the communal administration.

Around the Plaza there are also various commercial premises, such as the

Peruvian
origin and commerce destined to serve them that has settled nearby.


See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Plaza de Armas, Congreso Nacional y su entorno" (in Spanish). National Monuments Council. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  2. ^ Descubren ciudad inca de Mapocho oculta bajo Santiago de Chile
  3. ^ Santiago:Una ciudad fundada sobre otra ciudad Archived 2014-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Artículo "Mapocho Incaico" (3000 kb )
  5. ^ Entrevista al arqueólogo Rubén Stehberg acerca de la ciudadela inca del Mapocho[dead link]
  6. ^ Descubren ciudad inca de Mapocho oculta bajo Santiago de Chile Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Stehberg, Rubén. "Mapocho Incaico" (PDF). Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  8. ^ EducarChile (2013). "12 de febrero de 1541: Fundación de la ciudad de Santiago". Archived from the original (APP) on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  9. ^ Gubin, Anastasia (23 January 2013). "La ciudad Inca bajo Santiago de Chile".
  10. ^ Lahr Brandolini, Renata (5 March 2011). "Refrescante patrimonio urbano". El Mercurio. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  11. ^ Rodríguez, Hernán (1983). Palacio de la Moneda (in Spanish). Santiago: Dibam. p. 81.

33°26′16″S 70°39′01″W / 33.43791°S 70.65036°W / -33.43791; -70.65036