Plaza Zabala (Zabala Square), Montevideo

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.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Montevideo. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Plaza Zabala (Zabala Square) on Map

Sight Name: Plaza Zabala (Zabala Square)
Sight Location: Montevideo, Uruguay (See walking tours in Montevideo)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Montevideo, Uruguay

Create Your Own Walk in Montevideo

Create Your Own Walk in Montevideo

Creating your own self-guided walk in Montevideo is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Prado District Walking Tour

Prado District Walking Tour

A quiet, upscale barrio El Prado, in the north of Montevideo, is famous primarily for the sprawling park of the same name. Indeed, the city’s main green space, Parque del Prado is a major public venue made up of grassy fields, with the Arroyo Miguelete (Miguelete Creek) running through it, for which the neighborhood has been dubbed "the lung of the city".

Apart from the park,...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Montevideo Old Town Walking Tour

Montevideo Old Town Walking Tour

In 1683, the Portuguese founded a city called Colonia do Sacramento across the bay from Buenos Aires. Field marshal Manuel da Fonseca built a fort there he called Montevieu. In 1724, the Spanish governor of Buenos Aires, one-armed Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, forced the Portuguese out and changed the name of the city.

Bruno and the Spanish settlers called their new city "Saint Philip and...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles