Plaza de la Constitución

main square

La Plaza de la Constitución, informally called El Zócalo, is the main square in Mexico City. Located in the historic center of Mexico City, it is one of the largest squares in the world.

History

Cathedral Metropolitana, c. 1900

Plaza de la Constitución (and the area that surrounds it) has been the center of Mexico City since pre-Hispanic times, when the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan rose in what today is Seminario Street, at the right of the Metropolitan Cathedral and Sagrario. When the Spanish built Mexico City over the ruins of Tenochtitlan in the colonial era, all the streets were developed from the orientation of the Plaza Mayor.

The old Plaza de Armas in Mexico City received the name of Plaza de la Constitución in 1812 to celebrate the promulgation of the Cadiz Constitution. In 1843, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, President of Mexico on his sixth term, ordered the erection of a monument to commemorate the nation's Independence in the center of the Plaza, which had been occupied by the Parián market and the bronze equestrian statue of Carlos V. Design proposals from prominent architects were received and a proposal by Mr. Griffo was selected. But passing over this selection, Santa Anna decreed that a proposal for an independence column by the architect Lorenzo de la Hidalgo would be built. On September 16, 1843, the base for the column - a block of white marble about two-and-a-half meters tall - was laid on 300 planks of cedar resting on 2000 wooden piles. Unfortunately, lack of government funds prevented any further construction. Over the years, as the stone sat in the plaza, it became a well-known local landmark, referred to as the zócalo, Spanish for plinth. Eventually, the zócalo was used as the base of a bandstand in the plaza. Gradually, the word zócalo came to be used for the entire plaza and replaced terms such as "plaza mayor" and names such as Plaza de la Constitución.

From Mexico City, the word zócalo has spread to other cities and towns and become the most popular name for the plaza mayor. According to some, the term only applies to a square with both a cathedral and government building on the perimeter of the plaza; otherwise, it is referred to as a plazuela. Before this usage came into place, zócalo meant the plinth of a statue, originally from the Italian word for small sock or shoe, socalo. There is now a zócalo not only in Mexico City, but in just about any other town or city in the country.

Buildings

In the north side of the Zócalo are the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Metropolitan Sagrario. In the east there's the National Palace; in the southeast corner, the Supreme Court of Justice. In the south, the City Hall main and new buildings; and in the west, the Monte de Piedad building and the famous Portal de Mercaderes.

Today

The Plaza de la Constitución is one of Mexico City's main attractions. For many Mexicans, the Zócalo is the destination for most political and trade union demonstrations and an appropriate place to express ideas, requests, and concerns. It also functions as a meeting place for cultural, social and sporting events.

The Zócalo holds many artistic events and civic celebrations, notably the Grito de Independencia, in which the President of Mexico participates every year. Many artists, such as Café Tacuba, RBD, Maná, Alejandro Sanz, and Shakira (who holds the Zócalo attendance record, with more than 210,000 people attending), have performed concerts.

Towards the end of 2007, the government of Mexico City constructed an ice skating rink in the Zócalo. Due to this event a very popular basketball court was torn down

Pictures

• 
  Mexico National Palace
• 
  Flag in the Plaza´s centre being lowered
• City Hall buildings
  City Hall buildings
• El Zócalo with Mexican Flag
  El Zócalo with Mexican Flag
• Cathedral Metropolitana
  Cathedral Metropolitana
• 
  Dancers in Plaza

Sources

• Vasquez Mellado, Alfonso (1990). Ciudad de los Palacios, Editorial Diana, Mexico City.
• Horz de Via, Elena (1991). Guía Oficial Central de la Ciudad de México, INAH, Mexico City.