Zócalo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Zócalo in Mexico City, looking south from the roof of the Metropolitan Cathedral
The Zócalo in Mexico City, looking south from the roof of the Metropolitan Cathedral

A zócalo is a central town square or plaza, usually located in Mexican cities[1]. The most famous zócalo is that of Mexico City, which is formally known as the Plaza de la Constitución; the government district of Mexico City is known after this. Zócalos were often the original central squares of Mesoamerica in cities that were coopted by the Spanish conquerors.

The term zócalo is related to the Italian zoccolo meaning pedestal or plinth. Both zócalo and zoccolo ultimately derive[1] from the Latin soccŭlus which is a diminutive of the noun soccus, meaning a type of clog. The modern English word "sock" shares a reflex with zócalo, zoccolo and soccus.

It was in the Zócalo of Mexico City that Mexico pledged allegiance to the Spanish Constitution of 1812, called "The Cádiz Constitution". The square received the name of "Zócalo" because Antonio López de Santa Anna, president of Mexico, ordered a sculpture commemorating Mexico's independence to be put in the middle of the town square. The statue was never finished, and the only remnant of the work was the plinth which was to support it. The plinth no longer exists, but its name remains.

Nowadays in the Zocalo many artists host concerts, such as Cafe Tacuba, Maná, Alejandro Sanz, and Shakira, who has the record of attendance with more than 210,000 persons, set on May 27, 2007, in concert as part of her Oral Fixation Tour.

[edit] Notable Zócalos

[edit] Trivia

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Zócalo in the DRAE dictionary

Coordinates: 19°25′58″N, 99°08′00″W