Plaza San Martín and the Cabildo

The 400-year-old plaza orients the city, with General San Martín facing the direction of Mendoza (from which his army crossed into Chile and later Peru to liberate them from Spanish rule). Exhibitions, fairs, and impromptu markets are frequent events on the plaza. The Cabildo stands on the plaza's west side. During the military dictatorship of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Cabildo functioned as police headquarters and was used, as acknowledged by a small sign along Pasaje Santa Catalina, as a clandestine center for detention, torture, and execution. Today the Cabildo is a friendlier place, used mainly for cultural exhibitions and events.

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