Santiponce Itálica

Heritage

An immense legacy waiting to be discovered

Plaza América

1884
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The Plaza América is in the María Luisa Park and was designed and directed by the architect Aníbal González y Álvarez-Osorio (1876-1929). It was opened in 1916 and is surrounded by an oval road for traffic and by the Palace of Ancient Art (now the Museum of Popular Arts and Customs), the Royal Pavilion and the Palace of Fine Arts (now the Archaeological Museum). In these buildings, the first of the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition, Aníbal González brought together three historic architectural styles: Renaissance (Palace of Fine Arts), Gothic (Royal Pavilion), and Mudejar (Palace of Ancient Art).

At its centre, there is a beautiful pond dotted with water lilies with a high central spout surrounded by magnificent wrought-iron candleholders. In this square, the Glorieta de Cervantes can be found; its tile benches reproduce passages from the immortal Quixote and the Glorieta dedicated to Rodríguez Marín.

The landscaping of the square, reformed on several occasions, mainly consists of a layout of geometric flowerbeds framed by hedges of eponymous (Euonymus japonicus), within which different varieties of roses are planted. Tall, slender palm trees complement the ensemble.

The Royal Pavilion has this name as it was designed to house the Royal House's art collections, which featured in the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition.

The so-called Mudejar Pavilion was completed in 1914 and is inspired by Andalusian Mudejar styles(that is why it has this name), although it was initially the Palace of Industries, Manufactures and Decorative Arts or also known as the Ancient Art Pavilion.

The last building in the square, opposite the Mudejar Pavilion, was built for the Ibero-American Exhibition as the Fine Arts Pavilion and is now the Archaeological Museum. The building was designed by Aníbal González between 1912 and 1929 in the Plateresque style.

At one end, the internationally famous white doves gather in front of anyone who provides them with some food, and they even give it a name as this square is also popularly known as the pigeon park.

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