Plaza de la Constitución

The Constitution Square, in Montevideo

The Plaza de la Constitución, better known as Plaza Matriz, is the oldest square of Montevideo, heart of the original Spanish fortified town. The Montevideo audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this cradle of the town, framed by the metropolitan cathedral and the former cabildo, where everything began.

The plaza mayor of the fortified town

You arrive now on the Constitution Square, better known as Plaza Matriz. It is the oldest square of Montevideo: it served as the plaza mayor of the Spanish fortified town that was then called San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo. It was at the time the only public space of the town and had no precise delimitations; it was gradually drawn by the construction of the cathedral and the former cabildo. The cabildos were the seats of the colonial administrations that managed the municipalities at the time of the Spanish Empire; that of Montevideo, an elegant neoclassical building, today shelters a museum. The metropolitan cathedral, or iglesia Matriz, is for its part the oldest church of the town, and its history merges with that of the town. In the centre of the square stands a fine marble fountain of the nineteenth century, an appreciated meeting point. Today, the Plaza Matriz is a verdant and peaceful square, planted with great trees, where the inhabitants come to rest in the shade; each Saturday, a market of antiques and second-hand goods animates its paths, mingling the charm of the old with daily life. It is here that everything began, and the square keeps the intimate atmosphere of the Montevideo of the origins. A historic square and a cradle of the town, the Constitution Square is a fine stop of the discovery of Montevideo.

What to see

Here you discover the oldest square of Montevideo, the former plaza mayor of the Spanish fortified town San Felipe y Santiago, framed by the metropolitan cathedral, the oldest church of the town, and the former cabildo become a museum; in the centre, a fine marble fountain of the nineteenth century, and each Saturday a market of antiques under the great trees. The Constitution Square is the cradle of Montevideo. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Constitution Square, or Plaza Matriz, lies in the heart of the ciudad vieja of Montevideo, reachable on foot. It is a public square freely accessible, planted with trees and embellished with a fountain, lined with the cathedral and the former cabildo; a market of antiques is held there on Saturday. You discover it during a walk in the old town.

Why is the Constitution Square of Montevideo important?

Because it is the oldest square of the town, the former plaza mayor of the Spanish fortified town San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo, there where everything began; framed by the metropolitan cathedral, the oldest church of the town, and the former cabildo become a museum, it keeps a marble fountain of the nineteenth century and hosts a market of antiques on Saturday.

Where is the Constitution Square in Montevideo?

In the heart of the ciudad vieja of Montevideo, in Uruguay.