Things to Do in Central And South America

Viewing this building, you’ll be confused about what exactly you’re looking at. Originally built as a train station in another location, the facade ended up in Montevideo as a market, instead. Located in Montevideo’s Old Town, the plaza outside is filled with outdoor-seating restaurants and craft stalls, while inside you’ll find even more eateries and shops. Musicians will entertain you as you sample fresh seafood and flavorful “asado”, a traditional way of grilling meats on open fire, common in many South American countries.

Along with being a great place to shop for souvenirs and antiques and eat copious amounts of red meat, the market holds 130 years of Uruguay’s history. Mercado del Puerto was completed on July 19, 1885, and still supplies a comfortable, homey place for people of all social classes and backgrounds. Moreover, the old world architecture will transport you back to a time when foods coming from inland areas and illegal imports were sold there. Saturdays are a fun time to go, when the atmosphere takes on an overly festive tone.

Plaza Murillo is not only the main meeting square of modern day, downtown La Paz, but it’s also a public space steeped in history, conquest, conflict and tragedy. Surrounded by imposing buildings such as the Presidential Palace, the La Paz Cathedral and the National Congress of Bolivia, many of the country’s most notable political events have taken place on the open square.

Unlike many other central squares in South America, Plaza Murillo is not named “Plaza de Armas” or “Plaza Mayor”. Though it has held both of those names since its founding in 1558 by Spanish settlers, Plaza Murillo is now named for Don Pedro Domingo Murillo, a leader of the 1809 revolution against Spanish occupation who was eventually hung in the plaza now bearing his name.

Revered to this day as a great leader in the independence movement, Plaza Murillo now features a large monument to the man who helped release Bolivia from its colonial shackles. Murillo, however, was not the only political figure to meet an unfortunate end in this square. In 1946, President Gualberto Villaroel was assassinated when an angry mob stormed the Presidential Palace, took up arms against him and tossed his body out into the open square where it was eventually hung from a lamppost.

Today, the scene around Plaza Murillo is far less violent, and the pigeon-filled open space is considered to be one of the finer places in the city for people-watching and socializing. While there are few places in congested La Paz to sit and enjoy a peaceful moment, ironically, Plaza Murillo is now considered the place to be.

One of Buenos Aires’s most famous landmarks, the Obelisco (Obelisk), is located in the center of Plaza de la Republica. Erected in 1936 to commemorate the first (and ultimately unsuccessful) founding of Buenos Aires by Pedro de Mendoza on its 400th anniversary, the monument stands in the center of Avenida 9 de Julio where it intersects Corrientes. 

Enormous and austere, Bogota’s broad, bricked central plaza was designed in 1553 to be the gathering place for tens of thousands at the hub of the federal government. Once known simply as the Plaza Mayor (Main Plaza) and serving as home to the city market, the plaza is a classic example of monumental Spanish civil engineering. Some of Bogota's most important edifices sit in the area: the soaring neoclassical national cathedral; the appropriately federalist capitol building; French neoclassical Edificio Liévano, seat of city government; and the ultra-modern stylized arches of the imposing Palace of Justice, most recently rebuilt after a 1985 terrorist attack.

The city of Manaus is home to a busy commercial and cruise port, but luckily for visitors the port itself is right downtown. This means you can make the most of even a short stop in Manaus without spending too much time getting back and forth to and from your ship.

How to Get to Manaus:

As mentioned, the Port of Manaus is right in the downtown area, so once your ship gets in it is as simple as walking into the city center to enjoy the sights. Not all the attractions are downtown, of course, but from central Manaus you can take a bus or taxi to outlying destinations you might want to visit - like some of the river beaches or museums.

One Day in Manaus:

Because central Manaus is within walking distance of the port, it is easy to spend a day exploring the city center on your own. You can visit the beautiful Teatro Amazonas opera house, pick up some souvenirs at the Mercado Municipal and learn about the indigenous populations at the city's history museums. Getting to points that are further away, like the Natural Science Museum or the popular river beaches, would be easier with a tour so that you don't need to figure out transportation or worry about getting back to your boat in time if you are visiting from a cruise. If your stop in Manaus is at the end of your cruise, you can also book an Amazon tour. The two rivers that meet at Manaus form the Amazon, and boat tours leave regularly from the city.

Port Information:

The local language in Manaus is Brazilian Portuguese, and the currency is the Brazilian Real. You will need to exchange your money for the local currency, and be prepared to have smaller bills - many vendors cannot make change for large denominations. Note that although the port is within walking distance of central Manaus, the weather is typically very hot and humid, so be sure you have sunscreen and maybe a hat to protect yourself on your walk.

The cultural heart of the historic San Telmo barrio, Plaza Dorrego is the second-oldest square in Buenos Aires and famous for its a vibrant weekly market. Named after the soldier and two-times Governor of Buenos Aires, Manuel Dorrego, the Plaza was once the center of the city’s 19th-century residential district, until clusters of tango venues and bars sprung up around the square in the 1930s.

Today the colonial square remains a lively hub of bars and cafés, with many historic venues holding tango shows and live music. Sunday is the most popular day to visit Plaza Dorrego when the square hosts the world famous San Telmo antiques market, accompanied by live musicians and tango dancers performing sultry numbers on the sidewalk. Sprawling along the adjourning Defensa Avenue, the Feria de San Pedro Telmo (San Telmo Market) offers up a colorful array of stalls selling antiques and curios alongside handicrafts, souvenirs, leatherworks, silver, tango memorabilia and local artworks. Browsing the peculiar medley of goods is a favorite pastime of both locals and tourists and post-shopping, the plaza’s many cafés are bursting with punters sipping coffee and soaking up the street entertainment.