Plaza de Bolívar

Stand in the middle, next to the statue, and turn slowly. In one sweep you take in the powers that have shaped Colombia's history: the Church, Congress, the city government and the courts.

1From market to civic square

Laid out when Santafé was founded, for three centuries this was the Plaza Mayor: market, bullfights, processions and punishments. Until 1583 a pillory stood in the centre, symbol of the king's power, and it was replaced by a public fountain. In 1861 the market and the bullfights were stopped.

2A Bolívar who changed his gaze

The statue of the Liberator is the work of the sculptor Pietro Tenerani. Donated by José Ignacio París, it was put up in 1846 and gave the square its name. In 1880 it received a new pedestal and was turned around: it used to face the cathedral and has looked north ever since.

The square you are standing on dates from 1960-1961: its design uses sloping planes to disguise the steep drop in the ground towards the Capitol.

Around you are the National Capitol to the south, the Primatial Cathedral and the Sagrario Chapel to the east, the Palacio Liévano, home of the mayor's office and designed by Gaston Lelarge, to the west, and the Palace of Justice to the north. On the north-east corner, the Casa del Florero recalls 20 July 1810, and on the south-east corner stands the Colegio de San Bartolomé, founded by the Jesuits in 1604.

3What to look for

• The statue of Bolívar, looking towards the Palace of Justice.
• The Palacio Liévano, in French Renaissance style, built where the Galerías Arrubla stood until they burned in 1900.
• The slope: walk towards the Capitol and you will feel the gradient the design hides.