In the 17th century, the City Council decided to create a new square named after the convent of La Merced - now disappeared - which overlooked it. As it was…

In the 17th century, the City Council decided to create a new square named after the convent of La Merced - now disappeared - which overlooked it. As it was the most spacious square in the city, it was the venue for the events with the largest crowds, such as the now defunct August Fair, and since 1761 it has been the venue for the Easter Encounter, one of the most important moments of this celebration, which has been declared of International Tourist Interest. In 1878 it was completely remodelled, with a design by D. Eugenio de la Garaganza, Chief Engineer of the Plantations and Gardens of Madrid, in accordance with the needs of the climate, specifying the type of irrigation and recommending tropical plants as botanical species, such as the araucarias or Norfolk pine and the ombú trees with their impressive roots that still adorn it today.  After several remodelling works, in 1926 the sculpture in homage to Commander Villamartín, a military man from Cartagena who has gone down in history for being the author of several works that, within military-historical thought, place him at the level of the great international figures, and is still the subject of study in military academies. Since 1901, the square has been embellished by the modernist architecture of the Palacio Aguirre, built by Víctor Beltrí as the family home of the wealthy miner. The building is notable for the axis from which the two façades unfold, with a corner tower and a belvedere on the first floor. The tower's glazed ceramic scales roof and the ceramic decoration on the upper part of the façade, with plant and child motifs in a rococo style, give it a decorative and colourful liveliness. In its last remodelling, the Palacio Aguirre was internally connected to the adjoining building, and is currently home to the Regional Museum of Modern Art - MURAM. The history of this space is enriched by the recent archaeological finds that remain visible until their future enhancement. Its explanatory panels provide information on how in ancient times the Decumanus Maximus, the road leading into the city in the Augustan period, ran through here, a possible monumental nymphaeum and, beneath it, the remains of a Punic house, about which the first archaeological hypotheses show the signs of the time of the Roman conquest of the city by Scipio's troops. From the square starts a new green space, the result of the recent urban reforms of the surroundings, which serves as access and transition between the lower area of the Plaza de la Merced and the higher area of the new University Campus. The Boulevard José Hierro is thus born, in honour of the great poet and winner of the Cervantes Prize who spent long periods of his life in our city. This boulevard has a contemporary concept, where, in addition to relaxation and rest, other types of activities can be carried out. It is home to local plant species or those that are already adapted to local conditions, as they require less maintenance and at the same time have a higher social value.