The historic centre of Puno, four blocks uphill from the lake. The square is rectangular rather than perfectly square, paved in light grey stone, lined with palms and benches, and dominated by the great pale-stone facade of the Catedral de San Carlos Borromeo on its eastern side.
It is a working square rather than a manicured tourist plaza. Shoeshine boys, taxi drivers waiting for fares, locals reading the paper, and the occasional brass band in the evenings give it a Puno-specific flavour. Most central restaurants and tour operators sit within two blocks; the long pedestrian street of Jirón Lima leads north from a corner. A good first stop on arrival in the city.