La+Plaza+Mayor

=La Plaza Mayor=

In 1523, King Charles I of Spain ordered that cities needed to be created in the New World, also known as South America. In order to create a new city, the architectural plans had to be developed around a square plaza in the middle of the city. On January 18, 1535, the city of Lima, Peru was established after the conquistador Francisco Pizarro confirmed the plans to build La Plaza Mayor as the central core of the city. After the plaza was constructed, its surrounding buildings were built – the Government Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the Palace of the Union.

===After construction, Pizarro and Lima’s first mayor, Nicolas de Rivera, explored the land surrounding Lima and divided the lots amongst themselves. Because he was the original founder and governor of Lima, Pizarro saw fit that he take the northern edge of the plaza and the Rimac River. To the south, a church was planned to be built. To the west was the city council, and whatever was left was then split between the remaining conquistadors.===

One of the rulers of the original colony, Diego López de Zúñiga y Velasco, requested the idea that the hangings of criminals take place closer to the river, as opposed to the original idea of taking place in the center of the plaza. Later in time, the hangings were moved down to the south side and the Desamparados train station was built in its place. At the center of the plaza, a water fountain was built. It was constructed on October 21, 1578. It was made of a short, decorative column with a bowl on top of it. There were eight pipes that let water flow from the top bowl to the next. At the very top, a ball with the seal of the city inscribed on it dropped the water onto the lower levels. On September 8, 1651, ruler García Sarmiento de Sotomayor rebuilt the fountain. As of June 2016, it still stands as the centerpiece of the plaza.

===The plaza has been used as a market, a bull fighting ring, and the place for criminal hangings. In 1622, the Cathedral of Lima was built and is still there today. In 1821, José de San Martín declared Peru’s independence from Spain on the center of the plaza. In 1855, President Ramón Castilla set up a gas lighting system around the plaza. In 1860, the original railways for tram cars were built on the plaza. In 1922, the Archbishop’s Palace of Lima was constructed. In 1938, the Government Palace was finished and in 1944 the Municipal Palace was completed. All of these structures are still apart of the plaza to this day.===

By: Zac Meyers