Exedra
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The word "exedra" comes from Greek and means "meeting room with seats" and is, usually, an open-air construction, semicircular in design, with seats or stairs on the inside of the curve.
On the site originally there was only the central column, this being a monument of Ionic design in quarry erected at the beginning of the 19th century in order to honor King Charles IV of Spain, however, its construction ended when he had already abdicated in favor of his son Ferdinand VII. It is believed that at the top of the column there originally existed a sculpture in the likeness of the monarch, and that this remained until July 1821, once the Independence of Mexico was concluded. Although this is an unconfirmed fact, there is a popular lithograph by the German engineer and architect Karl Nebel (1802 - 1855), where a human figure can be seen at the top of the column.
This monument has survived over time, but not the groups that accompany it. In 1842, four metal swans were placed at its base, pouring streams of water into bowls. In 1895, Governor Rafael Arellano ordered a statue of Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla to be placed on the capital of the column, but the idea did not prosper.
In 1949, Jesús María Rodríguez was in charge of building the stands as an exedra, as well as the fountain dedicated to Manuel M. Ponce (in the front part of the column), placing a cauldron on the column as a base for a flagpole.
It was during the government of Lic. Rodolfo Landeros in 1985, that the square was redesigned in order to pedestrianize the surrounding streets, it was then that the sculpture "Republican Eagle" was placed at the top of the column, a copy of the same mold that you can admire at the top of the monument to Raza in the country's capital, the work of the French sculptor George Gardet (1863-1939). Today the exedra is a point of reference, being a quiet space where you can relax, enjoy its fountains, sculptural works and gardens, while it is possible to admire the beautiful architecture that surrounds the place.
