Overview

This plaza used to serve as free market and at one point it was actually located outside the city walls.In more modern times, it has served as site for convents and a hospital, and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela entered the city through this plaza after the Reconquest of Spain in the 15th century. However, Plaza de La Merced had to wait until the 19th century to take on its current appearance.This square represents the cradle of liberties, and right in the middle is an obelisk dedicated to the memory of the liberal general Torrijos, who was executed on La Térmica beach for defending civil rights. This is also where Picasso was born, and they say that he loved playing with the pigeons here. Nowadays, it's a cosmopolitan spot, full of sidewalk cafés where people from all the world's continents meet.