Plaza of Heroes
Plaza of Heroes (Alexandrian: Plaza de Los Héroes) is a major squares in Cárdenas, Nouvelle Alexandrie, noted for its iconic Founders' Circle, featuring statues of Alexandrian national leaders and traditional symbolic figures; as well as the Alexandrian Memorial; and the Manco Cápac Column. The square lies at the north outbound end of Seiza Avenue, north of the Park of Victory; and south of the Pyramide Square; which can both be seen as an extension of the so-called 'Foundation Square'. It also hosts the National History Museum and the Proclamation Museum. The square has been the site of important events in contemporary history, such as the burial of King Manco Cápac. The sculptures were made by sculptor Enrique Valespora, with one additional made by Beatriz Porol.
The Plaza of Heroes Metro Station of the Cárdenas Metro is located at the eastern corner of the Plaza with Seiza, next to the Proclamation Museum. The tracks of Line G that serves this station are laid directly underneath the plaza.
History
The Plaza was part of the Cárdenas Plan, with the intention of the square to be reserved for both national leaders and Alexandrian historical figures. In the final draft of the plaza, it envisioned the construction of the Founders' Circle, with place for six marble statues in a semi-circle colonnade. Each statue was furthermore adorned with a relief depicting historical events. The construction began in 1686 AN, and was part of a much larger construction project, including the expansion and refurbishing of Seiza Avenue and the rebuilding of the Hotel Sector, which the Plaza is part of. Construction was completed in 1690 AN. More scultures were added in the years since; including the allegorical figures in 1705 AN; the Alexandrian Memorial in 1710 AN; and the Manco Cápac Column in 1720 AN.
On 20.II.1718 AN, following the Condor shoot-down incident, a crowd of 200,000 people gathered at the square for the historic burial of King Manco Cápac.
Layout
The central part of the plaza is occupied by the Founders' Circle, a semi-circle colonnade featuring eight historic figures of New Alexandrian culture. Four allegorical figures are featured atop the colonnade: A man with a scythe and a woman holding a cornucopia, representing Labor and Prosperity, at the outer left end; a man with war helm and spear representing War in the inner-left edge; a woman with a dove in her right hand and reed in her right, representing Peace in the inner-right edge; and a woman representing Lady Justice and a man holding a globe and a feather, representing Knowledge, on the outer right end. The statues in the left colonnade are reserved for former Monarchs: Emperor Edgard II, King Atoc Pachacuti, Emperor Louis I, and Emperor Edgard I. The statues in the right colonnade represent notable historic figures: Jaime Augusto Joaquin Primo de Aguilar, Marco Zimmer, and Kayara Mayhuasca Soncco.
The Alexandrian Memorial stands in front of the monument, a large stone cenotaph dedicated to the victims Alexandrian Flu. The cenotaph was recovered from an Alexandrian vault when Cárdenas was rebuilt as the capital of Nouvelle Alexandrie, and was originally erected by Emperor Edgard II as a tribute to those who died to the deadly epidemic. The memorial is surrounded by a fence and is off-limits for visitors.
The Manco Cápac Column is a large ten-metre column rising above behind the colonnade, with a figure at the top depicting King Manco Cápac, holding out his hands in greeting, wearing his military regalia. It was erected in tribute to the tragic death of the King, who along with Basileus Giakoumis of Constancia were assassinated above Passas in 1718 AN.
The National History Museum is located at the north end of the plaza, with the Proclamation Museum on the east end. On the west side, it faces Seiza Avenue, which has three buildings looking at the square - one is residential, one is the Hotel Gran Alexandria, and the other houses the non-profit organisation Stop World Hunger.
The Park of Victory, holding the famous Column of Victory (commemorating the 1685 Aldurian coup d'état), is located to the south. Both are surrounded by Founders' Lane on the west and Santander Boulevard on the east.
The Pyramide Square, holding the famous Cárdenas Pyramide (a tribute to the Wechua Planning Commission and the New Prosperity Plan), is located to the north, through Founders' Lane.
