El tráfico y las plazas

During the colonial era, the plazas in Spanish colonies in Latin America were the centers of the cities. Today, these plazas are still popular meeting places and tourist destinations within cities. Many of these plazas contain gardens and fountains. Cathedrals dating back to the foundation of the cities are often located on the edges of the plaza. Both huge cities and tiny villages often have plazas. For example, look at the pictures of plazas in Perú - Lima is the capital, Arequipa is a large city, Cusco is a very important place, the heart of the ancient Incan Empire, and Nasca is a much smaller town:

• la Plaza de Armas en Arequipa, Perú
• la Plaza de Armas en Lima, Perú
• la Plaza de Armas en Cusco, Perú
• la Plaza de Armas de Nasca, Perú

But, as you might have guessed, Perú is not the only Latin American country that has plazas. Plazas can be found in every Latin American country and also in Spain. Look at these plazas found all over the Spanish-speaking world:

• la Plaza Mayor en Madrid, España
• el Zócalo Ciudad de México, México
• la Plaza Independencia en Montevideo, Uruguay
• la Plaza de la Independencia en Quito, Ecuador
• la Plaza de Bolívar en Bogotá, Colombia
• la Plaza de Armas en Santiago, Chile
• la Plaza de Mayo en Buenos Aires, Argentina
• la Plaza Morazán en Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Some Spanish-speaking countries also have different kinds of transportation. In Perú, combis are a very common form of public transportation. Click here to see a picture of a combi and click here to watch a short video about combis.

Taxis are also a very common form of transportation in Perú. Click here to see a picture of Peruvian taxis. In Puno, a smaller city in Perú, three-wheeled taxis are common. Click here to see a picture of a three-wheeled taxi from Puno.

Each country in the world has its own transportation system of roads and vehicles. Bogotá, Colombia is known for its difficult traffic. Watch this video, Madness in Bogotá, about the transportation system in Bogotá. Then watch this short clip of traffic in Bogotá to see what a typical intersection in Bogotá looks like.