A tree with a lot of history

Hello, Hivers!

I hope you had a great walking Wednesday. Today, I went hiking again in the mountains near home, but the tiny walk I am going to share with you today is from several weeks ago, the day I visited the Museo Sacro de Caracas.

That day, when we were leaving downtown, before picking up the car at the parking lot, we took some pictures of a block on Av, Universidad in the center of the city that has some emblematic buildings and a tree with a lot of history that has also become an icon of the city center.

_{Screen Shot from Google Map}

This block goes from the corner of La Bolsa to the corner of San Francisco. I think I have said it before, but in downtown Caracas, the corners have names.

The first building we came across, in a west-east direction, is the former seat of the Supreme Court of Justice. That afternoon the sun was shining directly on the building, and I couldn't get a good picture. So this one was taken on a previous visit when I visited the Parque El Calvario.

This building is currently not in use since the Supreme Court moved to a larger and more modern facility. However, its facade is very well preserved.

Next door is the Palacio de Las Academias. A building dating from colonial times. And where today is the headquarters of the Academies of History, Language, and Natural Sciences, to name a few.

It was built during colonial times as a convent. Then it was the seat of the Central University of Venezuela until the University City was built. And since the mid-twentieth century, it became the Palace of the Academies.

In front, we find the back of the Federal Legislative Palace, where the National Assembly sessions.

Next to the Palace of the Academies is the Church of San Francisco. A colonial-era church was built in devotion to St. Francis of Assisi, which was originally built as an annex to the convent of San Francisco.

This church is not as big as others downtown, but I like it the most.

That day it was open, and we went in, but we couldn't take pictures because they were celebrating mass.

In front of this church is the tree that I refer to in the title of the post. An emblematic tree of downtown Caracas that is said to have more than 150 years and is considered patrimony of the city.

And although it is not known exactly who planted it. There are a few different stories about it. The Ceiba de San Francisco has been a witness to the history of the city for years.

That afternoon after taking the pictures in this block, we picked the car in a parking lot located a few meters from the Esquina de San Francisco, and so we ended our walk that day in Caracas' downtown.

This is my post for this week's #wednesdaywalk challenge hosted by @tattoodjay in collaboration with #makemesmile hosted by @elizacheng.

Thank you for reading.

_{All images and writing are my own unless otherwise stated.}

© CoquiCoin

March 29, 2023

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