Plaza de la Cibeles, Madrid

The building which houses the Museum of America, immediately adjoining the Ciudad Universitaria, also contains the University church, dedicated to St Thomas Aquinas. It affords a fine view of the Sierra de Guadarrama. The museum contains a wealth of material illustrating the history of America both before and after its discovery by Columbus in 1492. It concentrates particularly on the development of the Spanish colonies down to the 19th C., the history, life and customs of the peoples of South and Central America, and Pre-Columbian art. Among the most notable items in the collection are the "Treasure of the Quimbayas", a hoard of 62 articles of solid gold, weighing altogether 16 kg (35 lb), presented by the Columbian Government in 1892; the Maya Codex, dating from the time of Cortés's conquest of Mexico; Aztec, Maya and Inca stone sculpture; obsidian masks from Mexico; and a variety of vases and other pottery vessels. There are plans to transfer the museum to the Palacio de Linares.

Opposite the Palacio de Linares stands the former Palacio de Buenavista, today the Ministry of Defense. The Duquesa de Alba commissioned the architect Juan Pedro Arnal to design the palace, which, being situated on high ground, would command the Alcalá road. Building was begun in 1777 but was twice interrupted by fires. When the duchess died in 1802 the municipal authorities bought the palace in order to present it to Manuel Godoy, a powerful minister of Charles IV. Since then it has been used to house an artillery depot, the Museo del Ejército and finally the Ministry of Defense.A well-kept park, railings and a number of military posts now separate this massive building from the heavy traffic of this busy part of Madrid.

The Fuente de Cibeles is one of the great landmarks of Madrid and the central feature of one of the city's most beautiful squares. On the fountain the Greek goddess of fertility and love sits on a chariot drawn by two lions. The fountain was designed by the architect Ventura Rodríguez and its execution completed by Francisco Gutiérrez and Robert Michel in 1782.Originally the fountain stood at the beginning of the Recoletos, looking towards the Paseo del Prado. It was only later that it was turned round 90 degrees so that it faced the Calle de Alcalá.

Opposite the Palacio de Comunicaciones stands the Banco de España, Spain's national bank and the successor to the Bank of San Carlos founded under Charles III. It was built in 1884 by Eduard Adaro and Severiano Saínz de la Lastra in the style in vogue in France at the end of the last century. The building has subsequently been extended on several occasions. Inside the bank there are paintings by famous masters such as Goya, Sorolla, Mengs and Maella.

The southeastern side of the Plaza de la Cibeles is dominated by the Palacio de Comunicaciones, the main post office, known by the people of Madrid as "Nuestra Señora de Correos" (Or lady of the post). It was built between 1905 and 1917 by Antonio Palacio and Julián Otamendi in a historicist monumental style.

The northeastern side of the Plaza de la Cibeles is occupied by the Palacio de Linares. The palace was built in the 19th C. by Carlos Colubi.