Plaza Mayor

You are in the Plaza Mayor. Today it is a place for café terraces and strolling, but for centuries it was also the great stage of public justice. Crowds gathered here to watch punishments, trials and executions.

1The auto-da-fé of 1680

On 30 June 1680, in the presence of King Charles II, a great auto-da-fé of the Inquisition was held in this square. It was a day-long spectacle, with stands, processions and the public reading of sentences, in which more than a hundred people were tried. Those condemned to death were not executed here, but handed over to the civil authorities and taken outside the city. The painter Francisco Rizi depicted it in a huge canvas now in the Museo del Prado.

2The death of Don Rodrigo

Scaffolds were set up in the square according to the type of sentence. The most famous case is that of Rodrigo Calderón, a trusted aide of the Duke of Lerma, executed here on 21 October 1621. His composure in the face of death made such an impression that it gave rise to a popular saying: “prouder than Don Rodrigo on the gallows”, even though he was not hanged.

What is documented is grim enough; tales of apparitions are another matter.

Over time, stories arose of moans and shadows beneath the arcades, attributed to those executed. They are popular tales with no documentary support.

3What to look out for

• The Casa de la Panadería, from whose balconies the royal family watched the proceedings.
• The centre of the square, where platforms and scaffolds were raised.
• The Arco de Cuchilleros, the way out towards the old craftsmen’s quarter.