Plaza San Francisco

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Plaza San Francisco is a major urban plaza in the city of La Paz, Bolivia, and a frequent location for political gatherings and protests. It is located in front of the Basilica of San Francisco (from which it takes its name) as well as the Lanza Market [es] and the headquarters of the La Paz Factory Worker's Departmental Union Federation. The plaza was enlarged to 6,163 square meters in 2011.^[1] It was designated the city's Plaza Mayor, although this title had been used in the past for the Plaza Murillo.^[1] Together with the 1,140-square-meter Plaza Fabril constructed at the same time in front of the Factory Worker's Federation, it constitutes the largest open public space in urban La Paz.^[1]

It is located in the old town, and bordered on the north by Perez Velasco street, which is a short segment of La Paz's main artery. Perez Velasco roughly follows the route of the now-culverted Choqueyapu River.

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The plaza has long been a politically important space. It was a strategic location during the three-day April insurrection that won the 1952 Revolution. Following the dictatorship years of 1971–82, elected president Hernán Siles Suazo came to the Plaza first upon returning from exile.^[1] In the 2003 Gas War, the plaza was the central gathering place for crowds opposing the privatization of Bolivia's gas resources and demanding the resignation of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.^[1][2]

16°29′45″S 68°08′14″W / 16.4959°S 68.1371°W / -16.4959; -68.1371