Colonial Cities

This map shows several colonial cities such as Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, and Santo Domingo. The layout in the core of the cities still reflects how they were set up by the Spanish during colonization. According to the Spanish city planning ordinances of 1573, the cities were set up with the heart of the city as a central rectangle or square called the plaza mayor. This became almost like a park, with benches, kiosks, and pathways through it. Facing the plaza were the most important buildings such as the palacio municipal and Catholic cathedral. The remaining perimeter would be composed of two or three-story buildings housing restaurants, cafes and offices. The elite would live in the upper stories surrounding the plaza mayor. From there, the streets were laid out in a grid pattern extending from the heart of the city. This same layout can still be observed today among all of these cities. In the heart of all the cities the church is highlighted in red, the government building in yellow, and commercial buildings in green. The ordinances also call for the plaza to be in the middle of the city if it is an inland city, but if it is a port city, the plaza is to be built by the water. The plazas of Mexico City and Lima are huge in comparison to the others because of the their colonial wealth. You can still see the horse track design in the plaza in Buenos Aires.