Plaza Zabala (Zabala Square), Montevideo

Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, Captain General of Spain, fought pirates and the Portuguese on the Rio de la Plata in the 18th century. To hold off these enemies, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala built a fortress on the coast called San Filipe y Santiago de Montevideo.

In 1878, Colonel Lorenzo La Torre, the dictator of Uruguay, decided to demolish the old fort of Zabala and replace it with a public square. The fortress was destroyed and remained a wasteland for 12 years. Finally, in 1890, the statue of Bruno Mauricio de Zabala on horseback, sculpted by Spanish artist Lorenzo Valera, was installed, and the Square was officially established.

Zabala Square has gardens designed by French landscape architect Eduardo Andre. Iron fences and gates enclose the gardens. The Square is surrounded by Ring Durango Street, named for the district of town where Zabala was born. On the south side of the square is the Taranco Palace, the Museum of Decorative Arts.