Beautiful historic setting from which Martín de Estete began laying out the city, commissioned by its founder, Diego de Almagro, in December 1534.
In its early days the square stood empty, without any monument, until 1841, when Don Pedro de Mandalengoitia Sanz de Zárate donated a white stone fountain built at his hacienda and textile workshop of Santa Cruz de Carabamba. In 1867 the fountain was lit with eight lamp posts and their lanterns, and an iron railing was installed to protect it.
Today, the center of the square is occupied by the Freedom Monument, sculpted by the German artist Edmund Moeller and later assembled by Enrique Albretch. It was inaugurated on July 4, 1929.
The monument consists of three sections, each with its own special meaning.
SECTION I:
- Abundance, symbolized by the woman holding a necklace in one hand and a bunch of grapes in the other.
- Science, represented by the old man with a young man holding an open book.
- Commerce, symbolized by the man with a cogwheel beneath his legs.
- Health, expressed by the man carrying a sheaf of wheat, the lamb and the naked child.
SECTION II:
- Slavery, the man with his hands on his neck.
- Action, or the need for freedom, represented by the man trying to break his chains.
- Liberation, the man with his arms raised and fists clenched.
Metal plaques:
- Proclamation of the Independence of Trujillo (December 29, 1820).
- Battle of Junín (August 6, 1824).
- Battle of Ayacucho (December 9, 1824).
SECTION III:
- Youth, represented by the man standing on the globe holding a torch.