Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences

Madrid planted a tree-lined promenade in the 16th century — the Paseo del Prado, prototype of the Hispanic alameda — and around it grew a rare thing: a city centre dedicated to knowledge. Enlightenment monarchs added fountains like the Cibeles and Neptuno, the Royal Botanical Garden and institutions of art and science, an urban ideal that echoed across Latin America. With the 120-hectare Buen Retiro gardens, the ensemble joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021.