Gezicht op het Plaza Mayor in Madrid c. 1880 - 1890

This albumen print of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid was made by Juan Laurent, sometime in the mid-19th century. Laurent, a Frenchman working in Spain, captured the grandeur of this iconic square, which has borne witness to bullfights, markets, and even executions. Photography in this era was deeply entwined with colonialism and class structures. The ability to capture and disseminate images reinforced a certain worldview, one often excluding the experiences of marginalized communities. While the Plaza Mayor symbolized Spanish power, it also represents a site of contestation, where various social classes and identities converged. Consider the emotional weight of this space. What stories do these stones hold? What voices are silenced in this seemingly neutral depiction? Think about the complex layers of history embedded in the Plaza Mayor, and how photography both reveals and conceals aspects of our shared past.