Plaza Colón
Plaza Publica | |
Mayaguez's Plaza Colón and Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria church (later cathedral), 1898 | |
| Location | Calle Candelaria, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 18°12′04″N 67°08′21″W / 18.201108°N 67.139103°W |
| Built | 1760 |
| NRHP reference No. | 85003085 |
| RNSZH No. | 2003-25-(1-9) JP-SH |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 3, 1985 |
| Designated RNSZH | January 24, 2003 |
Plaza Colón is the main plaza in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. This plaza and its fountain commemorate the explorer Christopher Columbus, whose name in Spanish was Cristóbal Colón. The plaza presents the traditional urban relationship in Puerto Rico with the church, now Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Cathedral on one end of the plaza and the "Alcaldia" or Mayagüez town hall in the other. Its location was designated in 1760 close to the city founding.
The plaza is paved in marble is graced by a group of lampposts in bronze that date over more than one hundred years. Each lamp is held by an oriental odalisque, including characteristic clothes, turbans, and veils. The plaza was designed after the Great Fire of 1841, approximately in 1842; years later, after being paved the plaza had a fountain in the center. The plaza has been remodeled several times including when Benjamin Cole was mayor and under the current mayor José Guillermo Rodríguez.