Plaza Miranda is a public square bounded by Quezon Boulevard, R. Hidalgo Street and Evangelista Street in Quiapo, Manila. It is the plaza which fronts the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church), one of the main churches of the City of Manila, and is considered as the center of Quiapo as a whole. Inaugurated in its current form by Mayor Arsenio Lacson in 1961, it is named after José Sandino y Miranda, who served as the Philippines' Secretary of the Treasury between 1833 and 1854.
Regarded as the center of Philippine political discourse prior to the imposition of martial law in 1972, the plaza was the site of the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing, where two grenades were launched at a political rally of the Liberal Party, killing nine people. It underwent a ₱49 million renovation in 2000 after decades of neglect as a result of Manila's urban decay in the 1970s and 1980s, giving it a more modern design despite protests from various historical groups and cultural experts, with a monument erected to commemorate bombing victims and additional architectural elements installed. Currently, Plaza Miranda serves as a "freedom park", where assemblies and protests may be held without needing a permit from local authorities, and with thousands of people crossing through it every day, it is considered to be Manila's version of Times Square.
Despite fronting the Quiapo Church, Plaza Miranda and the streets surrounding it is known as a center for fortune-telling and the sale of lucky charms and amulets. Most fortune tellers who practice around Plaza Miranda claim that they are able to draw their ability to tell fortunes from their devotion to the Black Nazarene (the patron of the Quiapo Church) despite Catholic Church doctrine deploring the practice.
Aside from fortune sellers, vendors who sell different kinds of items like flowers, fruit, vegetables, toys and local sweets also abound in the area. There is also Plaza Miranda Mall, which is located just in front of the Quiapo Church where you can find a lot of different items. Here, most of the stalls sell mobile phone accessories, cards, etc. and you can also haggle for the price like in Divisoria. On the top floor of the mall, there is also a Jollibee where you can have a meal in case you get hungry from all the walking and shopping.
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