Bolívar Square is the Caracas square surrounded by landmarks including Caracas Cathedral and the Federal Legislative Palace.
The square occupies the historic centre of Caracas, within the city’s original 25-block colonial layout. It began as the Plaza Mayor and served as a marketplace and civic gathering place. Its surrounding landmarks include the Cathedral, Archbishop’s Palace, City Hall, the Yellow House, the Sacred Museum, and the Main Theater. The Federal Legislative Palace stands southwest of the square.
The space was formally named for Simón Bolívar in 1842, after his remains were returned to Caracas from Santa Marta. The name became widely established after a major redesign in the 1870s. At its centre is an equestrian statue of Bolívar, inaugurated on November 7, 1874.
A common mix-up is confusing Caracas’s Bolívar Square with similarly named plazas in Bogotá, Lima, and other Latin American cities. The surrounding buildings provide the key: Caracas Cathedral and Venezuela’s Federal Legislative Palace identify this particular square.