Plaza de la Liberación

A broad open plaza east of Guadalajara Cathedral, this square was cleared in the mid-twentieth century by demolishing a block of buildings to create a grand civic space. It is flanked by the Degollado Theatre, the government palace and the cathedral, and centers on a statue of independence hero Miguel Hidalgo shown breaking the chains of slavery. Fountains and rows of orange trees line its edges. The square forms part of the cross-shaped arrangement of plazas around the cathedral that gives the city center its distinctive layout.