Plaza Murillo in La Paz, Bolivia
Located three blocks northeast of
El Prado in the colonial city center of La Paz is Plaza Murillo. This plaza is full of life, with guards in historical uniforms guarding the Presidential Palace, and media people setting up cables for transmission and locals relaxing on benches reading papers while kids feeding pigeons.
Plaza Murillo is the main square of what is left of the colonial city center in La Paz, Bolivia. It is a historical plaza where much of Bolivia's political buildings sit.
During the colonial era it was known as Plaza de Armas and was later renamed Plaza Murillo in honor of one of Bolivia's independence leaders Pedro Domingo Murillo, who was hanged in the plaza after a failed rebellion against the colonial authorities.
On one side of the plaza, you'll find the colonial Presidential Palace (Palacio Presidencial), also known as the Palacio Quemado ("Burnt Palace") because it has been started on fire few times over Bolivia's violent history.
Outside the Presidential Palace stands guards in red uniforms, which was worn during the Pacific War (1879-84), when Bolivia lost its sea coast to Chile. Today, these uniforms send the message that Chile must return that land to Bolivia.
Also, on the south side of the Plaza is the neoclassical cathedral, which took over a century to complete. Construction began in 1835 and it wasn't inaugurated until 1925, and the towers, which are the newest part were completed in 1989 for the arrival of Pope John Paul II. There is a small museum in the cathedral known as the Museo de Arte Sacro de la Catedral which has a small collection of colonial religious art, sculptures and paintings.
Also, located on Plaza Murillo is the Congress building or known as the Palacio Legislativo, which was once a convent, a jail, and a university before a 1904 renovation to house Bolivia's congress.
