The Spanish colonial forces laid out their settlements around a plaza, called the Plaza de Armas, for it was here the most important religious and civic buildings were constructed and the armed forces could congregate to defend the community. The area around the plaza is usually referred to as the centro, the center.See this Original City Plot Map of Santiago
Santiago's Plaza de Armas dates from the 1540's when Pedro de Valdivia founded the city. The centro is a somewhat triangular area stretching north from the plaza to the Rio Mapocho, south to the Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, more commonly referred to as the Alameda, west to Via Norte Sur, which is Highway 5, the PanAmerican Highway.
Outside the triangle are some of Santiago's best known sights: Cerro Santa Lucia, Parque Forestal, Parque General Bustamente,intriguing Barrio Bellavista, and north of the Barrio, the Parque Metropolitano which offers scenic views of the city when the air is clear.
You'll want to refer to this map as we tour. The Plaza de Armas is located at the intersection of Compañía-Merced, Paseo Estado-21 de Mayo, Monjitas-Catedral and Paseo Puente-Paseo Ahumada streets.
The plaza was remodeled and anchors the Palacio de la Real Audiencia (1804) which houses the Museo Histórico, flanked by the Municipalidad de Santiago (1785) and the Correo Central (1882), seen here, and the Catedral Metropolitana (1745).
