Independence Square is the most emblematic public space in Montevideo, located in the heart of the city, on the land where formerly stood the Citadel of Montevideo. In its center stands the monument and mausoleum of General José Gervasio Artigas, a key figure of Uruguayan independence. Around the square are historical and governmental buildings of great importance, such as the Estévez Palace and the Executive Tower, both headquarters of the Executive Power, as well as the iconic Salvo Palace and the Gate of the Citadel, which marks the beginning of the Sarandí Pedestrian Street.

The idea of building a square in the space of the old Citadel arose in 1837, as part of a city expansion plan promoted by architect Carlo Zucchi. Inspired by the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, Zucchi designed an architectural ensemble for the surrounding facades, although in 1860 Bernardo Poncini modified the project. None of the original structures have survived to this day. For a brief period, between 1896 and 1905, the square housed a monument to Joaquín Suárez, which was later moved to another site.

The current landscape design of the square is due to the French landscaper Carlos Thays, who in 1905, during the presidency of José Batlle y Ordóñez, transformed the space with French-style gardens, ornamental fountains and vegetation. Among his most notable contributions is the planting of the 33 palm trees that remain a symbol of the square, in honor of the Thirty-Three Orientals.

On February 28, 1923, at the end of Baltasar Brum's presidential term, the Monument to Artigas was inaugurated in the center of the square. Although the construction had been approved in 1882, its realization was delayed for decades. Finally, in 1913, the design of the Italian sculptor Angelo Zanelli was selected, discarding the project of the Uruguayan Juan Manuel Ferrari.

In 1974, during the civil-military dictatorship, the construction of a subway mausoleum was decreed to house the remains of Artigas, which until then had remained in the Central Cemetery and then in the Cuartel de Blandengues. The work, designed by architects Lucas Ríos Demalde and Alejandro Morón, included two granite staircases leading to a subway room where the urn containing the remains of the hero was deposited. A granite structure above the urn serves as a skylight. The mausoleum was inaugurated on June 19, 1977 by the de facto president Aparicio Méndez.

With the return of democracy, the use of the figure of Artigas by the military regime was questioned. In 2009, then president Tabaré Vázquez proposed to move the remains of the hero to the Executive Tower, but the idea generated great controversy. Finally, it was decided to comply with a 2001 law that established the incorporation of phrases of Artigas' ideology on the walls of the mausoleum.

At present, the Plaza Independencia is still a neuralgic point of Montevideo. In its center stands the equestrian statue of Artigas, work of Zanelli, on a base with bronze bas-reliefs representing the Exodus of the Oriental People. To the west, the Gate of the Citadel recalls the colonial past of the city. To the south are the Executive Tower and the Estévez Palace, seat of protocol ceremonies and museum. On the corner of 18 de Julio Avenue stands the Salvo Palace, once the tallest building in South America.

Since 2010, the square is the scene of the ceremony of transmission of the presidential command, due to its proximity to the seat of government. That same year, a competition was held for its remodeling, with the participation of architects and government agencies. In 2012, the mausoleum of Artigas was restored, and his remains, temporarily transferred to the Cuartel de Blandengues, returned in a public act on October 26 of the same year, with the intervention of historian Daniel Vidart.

Today, Independence Square continues to be a meeting point for locals and tourists, uniting history, politics and architecture in a single space.