Main Square of Bogota

Around 1840, the current Plaza de Bolívar was called Plaza de la Constitución, a place dedicated to commerce, especially on Fridays.

This public space, where food, wine and handicrafts were sold, was also a meeting place where people from the countryside and the city would gather: from the ladies of Santa Fe to the indigenous people from neighbouring towns.

 Although the plaza became a place for strolling for the wealthiest members of society, it was also a space that favored processes of cultural exchange and crossbreeding. Behind the commercial activities, a meeting of beliefs and different ways of life could be glimpsed. 

Perhaps the most emblematic building in the square is the Catedral Primada, whose construction was completed in 1824. This religious temple symbolized the importance of ecclesiastical power in the public life of the city.  

However, this place was not only important for Catholic worship. In its atrium, gatherings on different political and cultural topics were held daily. 

In addition to the Cathedral, other buildings that can be identified are the House of the Ecclesiastical Chapter, the Chapel of the Tabernacle. 

The Archbishop's Palace and St. Bartholomew's College, identified by its iconic dome. 

One of the most striking elements of this work is the fountain that peeks out from the crowd. It is a basin of water known as El Mono de la Pila, crowned by a sculpture of San Juan Bautista Niño.