Plaza Canal de Ponce, Square in the historic center of Cádiz, Spain
Plaza Canal de Ponce is a small public square in the historic center of Cádiz, Spain, situated between the Puerta de La Caleta and the Baluarte de Los Mártires. It has benches, lampposts, paved paths, a mural panel, and a few trees that provide shade on sunny days.
The square stands on the site where, in ancient times, a canal ran between the islands on which the Phoenician city of Gadir was founded around 1100 BC. Francisco Ponce Cordones began researching its existence in the 1970s, and excavations carried out in 2001 confirmed that the canal had been real.
The Plaza Canal de Ponce takes its name from Francisco Ponce Cordones, a customs agent and local history enthusiast who began investigating the existence of an ancient canal in the 1970s. A mural on the square tells the story of his research and the canal's discovery, giving visitors something concrete to read and look at.
The square is easy to reach on foot through the historic center of Cádiz, as it sits close to the waterfront and several well-known landmarks. There is no parking right at the site, so arriving on foot or by public transport is the most convenient option.
At low tide, a line on the seabed is said to still be visible from the square's location, marking the ancient path of the canal between the Atlantic and the bay. This trace beneath the water is considered one of the few remaining signs of the original layout of the city.
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