page_title: Mérida, Mérida
section_title: Parks, squares, and sightseeing
hierarchical_section_title: Mérida, Mérida / Points of interest / Parks, squares, and sightseeing
caption_attribution_description: Imagen panorámica de la plaza Las Heroinas en Mérida, Venezuela. La imagen denota la fuente central y la arborización de la misma, en la parte derecha, se puede apreciar la fuente menor con las estatuas de las heroinas merideñas .Licencia Libre, imagen tomada por Jorge Paparoni, favor nombrar fotógrafo y fuente para enlaces externos.
context_page_description: Mérida, officially known as Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, is the capital of the municipality of Libertador and the state of Mérida, and is one of the main cities of the Venezuelan Andes. It was founded in 1558 by Captain Juan Rodríguez Suárez, forming part of Nueva Granada, but later became part of the Captaincy General of Venezuela and played an active role in the War of Independence.
  The capital city's population is 204,879 inhabitants, and the metropolitan area, that includes the municipality of Libertador, reaches 345,489 people. The city accounts for 28% of the total population of Mérida State, which has more than 750,000 inhabitants. It is home to the University of Los Andes and the Archdiocese of Mérida. It also has the highest and longest cable car in the world. It is the largest student and tourist center of western Venezuela. The mass transit system is available as a means of tourist transport.
  This city sits on a plateau nestled in the valley of the Chama River, which runs from end to end. The town of Mérida is located at an altitude of 1,600 metres.
context_section_description: Mérida is famous nationwide for its great number of parks and squares, providing its inhabitants with access to nature. There are, at least, a dozen squares and two dozen parks, some of which are described below.
  Boulevard de los Pintores (Painters' Boulevard)
  On this street painters congregate in order to create, exhibit, and sell their works.
  Aquarium Garden
  This aquarium exhibits both fresh and salt water fish. It also has collections relating to Mérida's rural past.
  Beethoven Park
  Located in front of the Museum of Modern Art in the northern area of the city, this pretty park has a clock on the ground, whose numbers are flowerpots, and large mechanical carillon clock with wooden elves that play melodies from the famous German composer.
  Mérida Botanical Garden
  This was the first botanical garden in the city. It is located in the extreme north of the city and has about 40 hectares under cultivation.
  Parque Domingo Peña
  Also called Paseo de la Feria or Parque de los Conquistadores, consists of an avenue with a lookout point facing the Sierra Nevada. Student celebrations and get-togethers often take place here.
  Parque Metropolitano Albarregas
  This park is the largest in the city, 22 km (14 mi) long and 612 hectares in area. It is located on the bank of the Albarregas River, and contains play areas for children and a sculpture museum.
  Parque Ciudad de los Niños (Children's City Park)
  A large children's park, which models the shape of the city on a smaller scale.
  Parque de las Cinco Repúblicas (Park of the Five Republics)
  A park that is the home of the Bolívar Column, a monument dedicated to Simón Bolívar. This was the first sculpture constructed to honor Bolívar, in 1842. It was commissioned by the then-governor of the province, Gabriel Picón. It was erected to commemorate the moving of Bolívar's remains to the Panteón Nacional in Caracas, from their previous resting place in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia, where Bolívar had been buried following his death in 1830. The monument consists of a pillar on which sits Bolívar's face in bronze.
  Parque del Ejército (Park of the Army)
  A small park, located in the south of the city, commemorating Venezuela's army. It has green areas, a fountain, and models of military tanks.
  Parque La Isla (Island Park)
  Situated in the former location of a coffee plantation of the same name, the park was built in 1960 partly as an underwater park, and is 3.5 hectares in area. Its infrastructure is reminiscent to that of an island, offering kids play grounds, trails, and athletic courts. The park houses the largest convention center in the city, as well as the headquarters of Corpoandes (a government-run corporation that promotes development in the Andes region), facilities for cultivating orchids, and a museum dedicated to beekeeping.
  Parque Las tres Méridas (Three Méridas Park)
  A small park that commemorates the three cities in the world named Mérida (in Spain, Mexico, and Venezuela). It features architectural elements typical of each city.
  Parque Zoológico los Chorros de Milla
  A small zoo situated in the extreme north of the city where the Milla waterfalls once flowed, it contains species indigenous to Venezuela and the Andes region.
  Parque la Marina (Park of the Navy)
  Located in Belensate, it has a large water pool surrounding a submarine fin, an underwater clock, and a children's play area in the shape of a boat.
  Parque Tibisay
  This park is dedicated to Tibisay, princess of the original dwellers of the region, the tribe Mucujún.  According to legend, she still laments the death of her fiancé Chief Murachí, who died bravely fighting the Spanish conquistadors. This park is located at the north end of Urdaneta avenue.
  Plaza Belén
  A small plaza, located to the northeast of the city center, in a neighbourhood of the same name. Its design, like that of most of the other plazas described here, follows the prototypical Spanish colonial style.
  Plaza Bolívar
  The past and present main square of Mérida, it is surrounded by the most important public and historical buildings of the city. It has an equestri
caption: Panoramic view of Plaza las Heroínas in the central quarter of the city.
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