It is also known as "El Zocalo." This name comes from a base (zocalo) that was built, by order of President Santa Anna in 1843, as the foundation for a monument to Independence that was never completed. People began using the pedestal as a meeting point and identifying it with the entire square, which thus became known as the Zocalo.

It covers an area of 46,000 square meters, making it the second-largest public square in the world after Moscow's Red Square. In the center stands a flagpole that measures 100 meters in height. Every day, around six in the evening, a ceremony takes place in which a company of soldiers with a music band parades from the National Palace to the flagpole.

A line of soldiers forms a cord around the flagpole. Due to the size of the flag, it takes a dozen soldiers to handle it. Once the flag is rolled up, they return to the interior of the palace. An hour later, a group of soldiers raises the flag again, without any ceremony.

This open space has the Cathedral to the north, the City Palaces to the south, the National Palace to the east, and the Mercaderes Portals to the west.

The Zocalo hosts a wide variety of activities. There are concerts, fairs, cultural events of different genres, and social benefit distributions. All events are free of charge.