M
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monumental
callao
AWARD
DESIGN AND CITY
Ibero-American biennial
design 2018
Main Square
Eduardo Polack postcard
The Plaza Matriz arose in the first decades of the 19th century associated with the construction in 1833 of the first main church built in Callao with funds raised by the merchants and residents of the port, under the leadership of the Italian businessmen Antonio Dagnino and Félix Valega , and was flanked by the Gálvez, Miller and Independencia strips
This originally constituted a respectful anteroom or atrium for the church, which soon became a plaza, the center of the city's daily activity and many celebrations. Over time, the small original square advanced over the vacant area that arose after the demolition of a block of buildings to facilitate communication between the Constitución jirón (former Calle Derecha or Straight and then Calle Real del Comercio, one of the oldest and most traditional shreds of the port after its new urbanization after the earthquake of 1746) and the current Manco Cápac avenue, which constituted the maritime shore and where the railway station was located.
In this way the current square took shape. It is a republican square in a neoclassical style with an area of 3,304 m2. In its oldest section it was a dry plaza (not landscaped) throughout its entire length. Currently, the section between Constitución and Manco Cápac is landscaped. At the beginning of the century, a monument to José de San Martín was erected in this part of the square, which was later moved to another area of the city. The ornamentation was completed with wooden benches and lanterns.
ELVIRA MILAGROS VALENZUELA SALDAÑA
Historian of the Directorate of Real Estate Historical Heritage
Ministry of Culture of Peru