Plaza Mayor: The Stage of Inquisitions and Bullfights

Why is it significant?

Step through the vaulted granite archway of the Arco de Cuchilleros and emerge into the grand enclosed red-brick rectangle of Plaza Mayor. Stand beside the bronze equestrian statue of King Philip the Third in the center.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step through the vaulted granite archway of the Arco de Cuchilleros and emerge into the grand enclosed red-brick rectangle of Plaza Mayor. Stand beside the bronze equestrian statue of King Philip the Third in the center. Commissioned by King Philip the Second and completed in sixteen nineteen by royal architect Juan Gómez de Mora, this monumental porticoed square was the grand ceremonial stage of Imperial Spain.

Look at the two hundred and thirty-seven balconies looking down onto the cobblestones: during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, thousands of spectators paid fortunes to rent these windows for royal coronations, public executions, bullfights, and the dreaded autos-da-fé of the Spanish Inquisition, where condemned heretics were sentenced before cheering crowds.

Look at the Casa de la Panadería, the Bakery House, on the northern side: its twin slate-roofed spires and colorful mythological frescoes by Carlos Franco evoke the guild craftsmen who regulated the price and distribution of bread across the capital.

Walk down the steps of the Arco de Cuchilleros toward the iron-and-glass market of San Miguel.