Location and surroundings of the Plaza
Situated
exactly at the centre of the capital of the old Aztec Empire, Tenochtitlan, the
spacious Plaza Zocalo is one of the largest public squares of the world. It
ranks the third, after the Tienanmen Square of Beijing and the Red Square of
Moscow, in the world, having an area of 830 x 500 square feet. In the metric
system, its dimensions are: 220 M from North to South, and 240 M from East to
West. It is the main square of Mexico city and the popular gathering place for
public to take part in all kinds of demonstrations, government and political
rallies, concerts, and various festive events all the year. It also serves as a
human chessboard and an ice-skating Ring. The most spectacular event happening
at the plaza regularly is the hoisting of the national flag by the army daily
at 6: 00 A.M in morning and its lowering at 6: 00 P.M in evening. Having the
official name, Plaza de la Constitution, the square is commonly called Plaza
Zocalo. It was also known by the names of Main Plaza and Arms Plaza during its
earlier days.
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Plaza Zocalo, in the centre of Mexico City |
This vast paved plaza is surrounded by several beautiful buildings being important from historical as well as political point of view. To the east of it lies the National Palace; to the north of it is the Metropolitan Cathedral; and to the southern side of the plaza is situated the City Council building of Mexico City. To the west side of the Plaza is the Portal De Mercedes Arcade having extravagant hotels and Jewelry shops. The plaza has been constructed several times during the past all the different phases of its history can be viewed in the numerous scale models displayed inside the Metro Station of Zocalo. The most noticeable thing at this place is the wall paintings of Diego Rivera.
Everyday, just near the cathedral, one can watch the Aztec dancers dressed in snakeskin loin cloths and feathered caps, moving in circles and singing loudly to the drum beats. These rituals are performed regularly to evoke the Aztec Deity Mittote, an ancient ceremony of the Mexican people during harvest times.
Past in brief and the reason for its naming
When in 1519 the Spanish armies dominated their Aztec rivals and conquered Mexico, Herman Cortes--the commander of Spanish forces planned a town having its main square just at the centre of the than capital. Thus was founded the present Mexico City. Three hundred years later, in 1821, when the Argentinean Liberation Movement concluded victoriously, the erection of a monument to independence at this center of the square was decided. For this purpose a large pedestal was fixed in the square, but the monument was never installed. The Spanish for base or pedestal is Zocalo, that’s why the square derived the name El Zocalo or the pedestal. Today, the main square of every city of Mexico is called El Zocalo.
