The ''Plaza de Armas De San Fernando'' is the main square of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

, the capital of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. Plaza de Armas metro station is located under the square. Surrounding the square are some historic buildings, including the

Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral () is the seat of the Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, currently Celestino Aós Braco, and the center of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile. Construction of the Neoclassical cathedral began in 1753 and ended i ...

, Central Post Office Building, Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago, and the building that serves as the

seat of local government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...

for

, which was formerly occupied by the Cabildo of the city before being remodeled. There are also other architecturally significant buildings that face the square, including the Capilla del Sagrario, the Palacio arzobispal, the Edificio Comercial Edwards, and the Portal Fernández Concha. The Casa Colorada, the

Cuartel General del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Santiago The Cuartel General del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Santiago is a building located at the corner of Santo Domingo and Paseo Puente streets, in Santiago, Chile. It was opened in 1895 and serves as headquarters for the Firefighters Corps of Santiago. ...

and the

Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino The Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art ( es, Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino) is an art museum dedicated to the study and display of pre-Columbian artworks and artifacts from Central and South America. The museum is located in the city centr ...

are located a short walk from the square.

History

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

grid pattern In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orth ...

. This urban design was accomplished by Pedro de Gamboa, who was appointed by

Pedro de Valdivia Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, wh ...

in 1541.

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. The monument replaced a bronze fountain made in 1671, which is presently located in La Moneda Palace. Other commemorative structures include an equestrian statue of Pedro de Valdivia, a statue of

James the Great James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob ( Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin ...

, the indigenous peoples monument, a

time capsule A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ...

, and ground plaques, including that marking the

kilometre zero In many countries, kilometre zero (also written ''km 0'') or similar terms in other languages (also known as zero mile marker, zero milepost, control stations or control points) denote a particular location (usually in the nation's capital cit ...

of Santiago.

References

{{Coord, -33.43791, -70.65036, format=dms, type:landmark_region:CL-RM, display=title Buildings and structures in Santiago Squares in Chile Tourist attractions in Santiago, Chile

History

Freedom of Latin America monument

See also

References