Plaza de la Merced
Plaza de la Merced is a large plaza within walking distance
of anywhere in El Centro. By day it is home of many internet
cafes and also Picasso's birthplace. At night it becomes a
giant gathering spot for the single. It doesn't get "real"
until about 1 in the morning. The young people gather in big
clusers and walk around the plaza looking for old friends
or making new ones. From there you can discover various small
disqoteches in hidden alleyways where the new "couple"
venture to dance until the sun comes up.
This plaza used to serve as free market and at one point
it was actually located outside the city walls. In more modern
times, it has served as site for convents and a hospital,
and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela entered the city through
this plaza after the Reconquest of Spain in the 15th century.
However, Plaza de La Merced had to wait until the 19th century
to take on its current appearance.
This square represents the cradle of liberties, and right
in the middle is an obelisk dedicated to the memory of the
liberal general Torrijos, who was executed on La Térmica
beach for defending civil rights. This is also where Picasso
was born, and they say that he loved playing with the pigeons
here. Nowadays, it's a cosmopolitan spot, full of sidewalk
cafés where people from all the world's continents
meet.
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