Plaza Independencia, Montevideo: the Square, the Tomb and the Towers

What you can enter on the square, side by side. The schedules come from the city tourism office and the theatre's own visits page, and they decide the order of the walk.

The Artigas Monument

The centrepiece of Plaza Independencia is a 17-metre bronze equestrian statue of José Gervasio Artigas on a granite base, inaugurated on 28 February 1923. A competition in 1913 awarded the design to the Italian sculptor Angelo Zanelli. Artigas led the fight for Uruguay's independence and died in exile in Paraguay in 1850, and the city tourism office calls him the prócer, the founding hero.

There is no ticket and no gate: the monument stands in the open square, which is free, step-free and open at all hours. Stairs beside it lead down to his tomb, so the statue and the mausoleum are one visit.

The Mausoleum Below

Beneath the statue lies the mausoleum of Artigas, approved on 27 September 1974 under the military dictatorship and designed by Lucas Ríos Demalde and Alejandro Morón. It was opened on 19 June 1977, the anniversary of Artigas' birth. Granite stairs lead down to the urn, and a granite mastaba above lets sunlight reach the urn.

A 2001 law ordered quotations by Artigas onto the walls. A honour guard of the Blandengues, a regiment with roots in Artigas' own military service, stands at the entrance. Entry is free.

No opening hours are printed, so go in daylight. The Ciudad Vieja walking tour includes entry to the mausoleum with a guide, which saves you guessing at the story on the walls.

Puerta de la Ciudadela

The stone gate at the west end of the square is the last piece of the Citadel, the Spanish fortress begun in 1741 that occupied the ground the square now covers. When the walls came down, the gate was dismantled stone by stone and spent years as the rear gate of the Escuela de Artes y Oficios. It was rebuilt in 1959, a few metres from its original spot and aligned with the pedestrian street Sarandí, and restored again in 2009.

Today it works as a doorway between Plaza Independencia and the old town, and locals treat it as the start of the historic walk. You cannot enter it, you walk through it. Give it two minutes of attention, frame the arch with the Salvo tower beyond it, and then head into Ciudad Vieja down Sarandí.

Palacio Salvo

The tower on the east side, where the square meets Avenida 18 de Julio, is Palacio Salvo, opened in 1928 and for a time the tallest building in Latin America. The city tourism site gives its height as 95 metres, Wikipedia gives 101 metres to the roof and 105 with the beacon, so you will see both figures quoted. It was designed by Mario Palanti, who built a near-twin, Palacio Barolo, in Buenos Aires.

Guided visits run every day, and cover the outside of the building, the roof terrace and viewpoint, some notable floors and the Museo del Tango, because the cafe La Giralda stood here when La Cumparsita was first played. The official Palacio Salvo ticket costs $16 and pre-pays admission and the guide. English visits run at fixed slots on weekdays and weekends. Full schedule on our Palacio Salvo page.

Teatro Solís

On the south-west corner of the square stands Teatro Solís, the city's main theatre, officially opened on 25 August 1856 with a performance of Verdi's Ernani. Named after the navigator Juan Díaz de Solís, it took years to build, works having started in 1842 and stalled during the Siege of Montevideo. Guided visits run Wednesday to Friday at 16:00 and Saturday and Sunday at 15:00 and 16:00, and times can change, so confirm at the box office.

The visit costs $9.92 (UYU 400) for foreigners and $4.96 (UYU 200) with a national ID document. If you show the digital proof of payment of the Montevideo tourist tax, you get half off the foreign price. You pay at the box office by cash or card.

When no visit is running you can still walk in to the photo gallery and exhibition areas. Details on our Teatro Solís page.

Palacio Estévez and Torre Ejecutiva

The south side of the square holds two buildings of the executive branch. Palacio Estévez was the seat of the Uruguayan government in the 19th century and after, and next to it the Torre Ejecutiva is the president's office today. Since 2010, the public handover of the presidential sash at each change of government has taken place on Plaza Independencia in front of these buildings, which tells you how much symbolic ground this square holds.

No visiting hours are printed for either building, so plan to see them from the square. The changing of the honour guard happens at the mausoleum across the paving. The half-day city tour with a live guide covers the square together with the Executive Tower and the Solís Theatre in one pass.

The Citadel and the Walls

Montevideo began as a walled Spanish military town, San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo, guarded by a Citadel whose construction started in 1741 on ground that is now the middle of Plaza Independencia. The walls enclosed a small peninsula above the port, and the Citadel sat at the landward gate, exactly where the square is today. After independence, the walls lost their purpose and were demolished, a process completed in 1877.

The stone gate was saved, taken apart piece by piece and reused as the rear gate of a trade school, and the rest of the fortification disappeared under the growing city. Only the Puerta de la Ciudadela survives as evidence of the walls, standing at the west edge of the square. So when you cross Plaza Independencia, you are crossing the exact line where the fortified town ended and open land began.

Zucchi, Thays and the Palms

With the fortress gone, the city laid out a new main square on the site. The Italian architect Carlo Zucchi drew up the plan from 1837, and the design is said to have been inspired by the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. In the early 20th century the landscaper Carlos Thays gave the square its greenery in the French style, with parterres, fountains and rows of palms.

The palms carry a story of their own, since they are said to stand for the Treinta y Tres Orientales, the leaders of the 1825 expedition that began Uruguay's fight for independence. The square was rebuilt again when the mausoleum opened in 1977, so today's granite paving dates from then.

The Statue and the Tomb

The monument to Artigas took a competition in 1913, won by the sculptor Angelo Zanelli, and an inauguration on 28 February 1923 to reach the square. Artigas himself had a long posthumous journey. He died in Paraguay in 1850, his remains were brought back to Uruguay in 1855 and placed in the National Pantheon of the Central Cemetery, where they lay for more than a century.

In 1974 the dictatorship approved the mausoleum under the statue, and it opened in 1977. After the return of democracy, the use of Artigas by the dictatorship was widely questioned, and the tomb stayed debated. The space was restored in 2011 and the remains returned on 26 October 2012.

Today an honour guard stands at the mausoleum, and visiting heads of state lay wreaths there.

Ceremonies, Marches and Closures

Since 2010, the public handover of the presidential sash at each change of government has happened on this square, in front of the Palacio Estévez and the Torre Ejecutiva. Foreign dignitaries on state visits lay wreaths at the mausoleum. The Marcha de la Diversidad, the annual pride march, starts here before filling Avenida 18 de Julio.

Expect barriers on those days, so keep a second slot for the tomb if it matters to you. Carnival runs about forty days from late January, and its opening parade uses Avenida 18 de Julio, which starts at the square: see our carnival in Uruguay page. No official events calendar for the square itself is printed, so ask at the tourist information office on Piedras 257, open every day 9:00-17:00, if you see barriers going up.

On Foot, by Bus, from the Port and the Airport

The square is the western end of Avenida 18 de Julio and the eastern gate of Ciudad Vieja, so if you are anywhere in the centre or the old town you reach it on foot. City buses under the STM system charge $1.29 (UYU 52) for a one-hour ticket with the STM card, or $1.59 (UYU 64) in cash, cash costing more. From Carrasco airport, most airport buses stop at the Río Branco terminal near the square, according to a local guide, see our airport page.

Cruise passengers dock at the port beside Ciudad Vieja and can walk to the square through the old town, see our cruise port page. The hop-on hop-off bus has a stop on the square, and its 24-hour pass makes the ring of sights easy. The square is accessibility certified, with kerb cuts at every access and three ramps with handrails, so wheelchairs and strollers work. Travellers sleeping over can compare bases near the square and the old town on hotels in Montevideo.

Start Here, Then West or East

Start your day on Plaza Independencia, because Palacio Salvo opens at 10:00 on weekdays and Saturdays. From there, two natural directions exist. Walk west through the Citadel Gate into Ciudad Vieja, down Sarandí past Plaza Matriz, and finish at lunchtime in the Mercado del Puerto, which is the classic first-day route.

Or head east along Avenida 18 de Julio toward the shops and the rest of the centre. If you would rather hand over the planning, our Montevideo tours page lists guided options that include the square, and our things to do in Montevideo guide helps you fill the rest of the day around it.