Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Plaza de Mayo, in the Montserrat neighborhood, is the historic center around which many of the city's main buildings are located.
Home to the federal government and state administrations, Buenos Aires is an autonomous city with a special status among Argentinian provinces. The Spaniard, Pedro de Mendoza, founded the first settlement in the region in 1536. It consisted of 250 square blocks, on the shores of Rio de la Plata and was centred around the place where plaza de Mayo currently stands. Five years later, Mendoza abandoned the site having been besieged by indigenous peoples. Juan de Garay definitively re-established the city in 1580.
La Plaza de Mayo
in the historic centre of the city, this large square has witnessed popular demonstrations and major events throughout history. It is the perfect example of Spanish colonial town planning: a rectangular shaped plot surrounded by the city's most important buildings, such as El Cabildo (the colonial town hall), La Casa de Gobierno (the office of the President), the Catedral Metropolitana and the Argentinian National Bank.