Plaza Matriz

Here we are! Standing right in the heart of the Old City of Montevideo, in the emblematic Plaza Matriz. If you look around you, you breathe pure history: this was the only open public space and the Plaza Mayor of the ancient fortress city of San Felipe and Santiago de Montevideo. In fact, its original layout broke somewhat with the famous Laws of the Indies, giving it a very particular charm typical of our colonial identity. A trip to the colonial and independence past. Walking here is like taking us back to the times when this place was the true driving force of city life. If you look to the sides, you will notice two fundamental buildings that continue to be witnesses of our memory. On the one hand, the Cabildo, the work of architect Tomás Toribio, which functioned as the headquarters of the colonial government. On the other hand, imposing in front of us, the Metropolitan Cathedral or Mother Church, which keeps inside the remains of key figures in our national history such as Fructuoso Rivera, Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Joaquín Suárez. Did you know where its official name comes from? Although we all know it as Plaza Matriz, its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución, adopted in honor of the famous Spanish Constitution of Cádiz of 1812. The present: bustle, culture and daily enjoyment. Today, the square changed its rhythm but not its prominence. It is the tourist axis…

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