Plaza Mayor, Valladolid

After its destruction in 1561 because of a serious fire at the old Market Square and thanks to the direct intervention of Philip II, it became urbanized as a meeting place and marketplace of traders who came from all parts of the Kingdom.

He gave birth to the modern town square in urban planning — a milestone for Spain and the Americas that it is a great contribution of the Spanish Baroque architecture.

It had been designed with large balconies to facilitate the viewing of the shows, and served as a model, since the seventeenth century, for many others in Spain (such as Madrid, 1617 or Salamanca, 1729) and South America, even having an impact in Italy.

The plaza has a rectangular plan with completely arcaded porches which rest on columns or square granite pillars and is of the open type, i.e. the streets leading to it have no hindrance or screen.

The Plaza Mayor is presided over by a statue of the founder of the city, Pedro Ansúrez designed by Aurelio Carretero and unveiled in 1903.