Plaza San Martín

One of the two great public squares of central Lima, this plaza was opened in 1921 to mark the centenary of Peruvian independence. At its center rises a bronze equestrian monument to José de San Martín, the general who declared the country's independence. A curious detail sits at the statue's base: a figure meant to represent Mother Peru wears a flame-shaped headdress, the result of confusion between the Spanish words for flame and the llama. Ringed by uniform Beaux-Arts buildings, it is part of the historic center's World Heritage listing.