Plaza de Cagancha

Plaza de Cagancha
—  Plaza  —
Coordinates:
Country  Uruguay
Department Montevideo Department
City Montevideo
Barrio Centro

Plaza de Cagancha, or Plaza Cagancha, also known as Plaza Libertad, is a square of the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. It is located on Montevideo's main avenue, 18 de Julio Avenue, in the barrio of Centro.[1]

History

In 1829, four years after the declaration of Independence, it was decided to pull down the fortifications of the Ciudad Vieja and extend the city to form the "Ciudad Nueva". The plans for some additional 160 city blocks and included a new square, which in 1840 took on the name Plaza de Cagancha, after the homonymous battle of 1839, when General Rivera defeated the invading forces from Buenos Aires. In 1867 the Pillar of Peace (Columna de La Paz) was erected in its centre with a bronze statue on its top.

External links

References

  1. ^ Gill, Nicholas; Greenspan, Eliot; Blore, Shawn (28 June 2010). Frommer's South America. Frommer's. p. 732. ISBN 9780470591550. http://books.google.com/books?id=mNIwAvSxIt0C&pg=PA732. Retrieved 23 May 2011.