Torreón's main square is a decent starting point for understanding the city centre, even if it lacks the grandeur of Mexico's colonial plazas. The cathedral faces the plaza on one side, and the Palacio Municipal closes another — both fairly modest by Mexican standards, which reflects the fact that Torreón was a frontier railway town rather than a seat of colonial power. The square itself has the usual benches, shade trees, and vendors selling snacks.
Walk a few blocks in any direction to get a sense of the centro's character: commercial streets with shoe shops and pharmacies, a handful of older buildings surviving among the newer construction, and the general energy of a working industrial city. The plaza is most lively on weekend evenings, when families fill the benches and street food carts cluster around the perimeter.