Zócalo or Plaza?

Rosa Venus wrote:A friend of mine from Guadalajara says there is really only one Zócalo in the entire country: Mexico City.

Rosa Venus wrote:A friend of mine from Guadalajara says there is really only one Zócalo in the entire country: Mexico City.

Chico wrote:My understanding is that if there is more than one plaza, the largest and most used one is the zocalo and the minor ones are plazas. In lakeside with only one plaza in each of our towns, they are plazas, not zocalos, as their must be multiple plazas to have one that is denoted as the zocalo. Not sure if I am correct, but that is my understanding. chico

CheenaGringo wrote:Dawg:

Please review my post and find where I stated that I believed it.

Now as far as Patzcuaro goes, we certainly have no investment there but for whatever reason, we really enjoy this small city and the surrounding area. No reason for us to defend our opinion because it is what it is and happens to be diametrically opposed to your opinion of not only Patzcuaro but also of Michoacán as a whole. And I will be willing to admit that neither of us is right!

CheenaGringo wrote:I am confused by the use of the word, "zócalo" as opposed to the word, "plaza" in some cities, towns and villages in Mexico. It seems to me that these two words are somewhat interchangeable but maps seem to be quite specific as to when and where they use these two terms.

Can anyone explain?

brigitte wrote:Various cities have various nicknames for their main plaza and some have none. El jardin is also used in some cities.

Meanwhile, I thought Zócalo was an Nahuatl word, but I cannot find any good link for that origin. It seems that it means the " base " or the pedestal in Spanish, interesting as the base in France is le "socle" pretty close, maybe the word comes from Latin rather than Nahuatl. Anyone knows for sure?

"Zócalo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Zócalo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsokalo], plinth) is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Square," and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square).

This name does not come from any of the Mexican constitutions that have governed the country but rather from the Cádiz Constitution which was signed in Spain in 1812. However, it is almost always called the Zócalo today. Plans were made to erect a column as a monument to Independence, but only the base, or zócalo, was ever built. The plinth was destroyed long ago but the name has lived on. Many other Mexican towns and cities, such as Oaxaca and Guadalajara, have adopted the word zócalo to refer to their main plazas, but not all.

It has been a gathering place for Mexicans since Aztec times, having been the site of Mexica ceremonies, the swearing in of viceroys, royal proclamations, military parades, Independence ceremonies and modern religious events such as the festivals of Holy Week and Corpus Christi. It has received foreign heads of state and is the main venue for both national celebration and national protest."