The Plaza del Estudiante in Maracay surprised me

The area near the Mercado Libre in the city of Maracay was always ungraceful from the ornamental point of view, being an area where many traders of fruits, vegetables, legumes and various meats made a massive life, made an unpleasant smell and poor hygiene very characteristic of the area. Thus, only those who needed to buy at a lower price approached that place, the rest, it was never a good idea to go around that area, in addition, insecurity was also a factor that made us keep our distance.

Based on the above, you can understand that I am talking about a complicated place, which seemed forgotten and was additionally hit by the economic crisis, the influx of people decreased and was limited to have a decent activity only on weekends. However, recently I had the opportunity to walk through this area and I was surprised to see that in front of the Mercado Libre they had built a place for recreation, health and sports, I am referring to the renovated Plaza del Estudiante (Student's Square). I remember that before it was just a space without any special function, it only served as a large island that separated the directions of Ayacucho Avenue. I will now show you the most outstanding spaces of the new Plaza del Estudiante.

The first thing that caught my attention were the areas for the more traditional sports. There is a basketball hoop which as far as I can see is only for playing 3 against 3 (the normal is 5 against 5), I guess for a space issue they did not make a full court, but from my point of view it is pretty good. Also, there is a volleyball court that looks desolate, but I guess when they install the mesh it will look better.

Something that I loved, were the multiple cement tables for table tennis, there are a total of 4 which I consider are more than enough to cover the demand, I do not remember seeing many people practicing this sport in the area. There is also a soccer field with artificial grass which is perfectly enclosed with metal mesh and it is observed that it has several LED lights. Likewise, there is a track for cyclists with the corresponding striping, however, for logical reasons it is quite short, I guess it would be fine for children.

As it usually happens in this kind of places, there are areas for children. In different parts of the square you can see traditional games made with metal and plastic structures, I think they are called garden games. I would say that these are the most demanded attractions in the square since it was where I saw the most activity, at the moment they are all kept in perfect condition.

The area that I saw with the greatest extension and investment is the one destined to exercise, there are long rows of metal machines for weight training, for running and for exercising various parts of the body. I think this is the most complete area of all and it is still in perfect condition, I think it is very useful for the general public.

The art is also present, there is a small stage for musical and artistic shows that although it seems to be insufficient for large acts, it could work perfectly well for children's shows of small dimensions. There is also a water fountain that is not working at the moment and a very particular bicolor (blue and red) artwork.

There are other areas for the common enjoyment of those attending the plaza, with green areas that are still in good condition. The large trees are also an advantage as they bring a lot of shade and freshness to the environment. So I was surprised by the existence of this square that was previously just a space without any purpose.

I want to say that for me these have been very difficult days, as a Venezuelan I feel short of breath, discouragement still takes over me after living one of the greatest injustices I have ever seen, but this is not the place to talk about that, so I apologize if with that couple of lines written I deviated from the essence of this community.

It was a pleasure to share with you another space of my beloved city, Maracay. I will continue giving the best of me to show you the most important architectural goodness of my environment. Greetings!