Plaza de Bolívar Site Features

The plaza's resident population of pigeons is as much a fixture as any of its buildings -- vendors sell small bags of corn throughout the day for visitors and locals to feed them, a simple, enduring ritual that draws families and children as much as the surrounding history does.

The square regularly hosts large public gatherings, from Independence Day military parades to political protests and demonstrations -- as the symbolic center of Colombian government, it remains the default staging ground whenever Bogotanos want their voice heard by the institutions that literally surround the square on every side.

Street performers, artisan vendors, and photographers offering instant portraits with the historic backdrop are a constant presence, giving the plaza an everyday, lived-in energy that contrasts with the formality of the government buildings around it.