It covers an area of 40 hectares, which makes it twice the size of Moscow's Red Square, five times the size of the Vatican Square, and six times the size of Mexico City's Zócalo.

It was built from 1980 to 1985 and spans from the current post office building to the municipal palace, from north to south.

The Grand Plaza contains a considerable number of monuments and buildings, such as: the Explanada de los Héroes, Parque Hundido, Teatro de la Ciudad, the Fountain of Monterrey, the Superior Court of Justice, the Central Library Fray Servando Teresa de Mier, the Fountain of Life or Neptune, the Plaza de Zaragoza, an Underground Shopping Plaza, a sundial, and the Faro del Comercio, among many others.

Additionally, in its surrounding streets, you can find the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Mexican History, where the Santa Lucia Promenade begins, and the Metropolitan History Museum, among others.

The Explanada de los Héroes, located in the northern wing of Macroplaza, in front of the government palace, covers an area of 19,400 square meters and is the venue for festivals and cultural events.

In the center of the Plaza, there is a flagpole, and at the four corners of the square, four monoliths hold the sculptures of Benito Juárez, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mariano Escobedo, and José María Morelos y Pavón.

Underneath the foundations of this square, the mortal remains of local leaders like Pablo González, Juan Zuazua, and Antonio I. Villarreal, are resting.