Plaza San Francisco sits at the foot of the Basilica de San Francisco and is one of the busiest intersections in the city — not just for traffic but for everything else. From here, the market district climbs up Calle Sagarnaga toward the Witches' Market and the Mercado Negro. From here, demonstrators march down toward Plaza Murillo when they have a point to make. From here, minibuses leave in every direction. It is a place that hums.
The plaza has benches and flower sellers and a constant flow of cholitas in elaborate skirts and bowler hats, students with backpacks, vendors with carts of fresh juice and api (a warm purple corn drink that is excellent on cold mornings, which in La Paz means most mornings). Sitting here for half an hour will tell you more about how the city actually functions than any museum. The Basilica facade rising above the square is best appreciated from the lower end — that is where the full composition of the carved stone comes into view.