In front of the Gold Museum, is Santander Park, a characteristic place for its change through history and for the importance of its monument.
This attractive park, today is a space with a large fountain, green areas and local merchants, has a really special history, first of all, in the sixteenth century was recognized as the shot square, 'because thanks to the extreme Christian presence and the two churches in front of the park, people who opposed Christianity were taken to the middle of the square to be shot in public. Years later it was called as Plaza of the Herbs,due to the proximity to regional market.
Later, from the end of the 18th century, other constructions were built, such as the Avianca building, which owns the emerald museum and also the Pedro A. Lopez building, which was a majestic hotel (Hotel Granada) and the first bank of Bogotá, nowadays, the Bank of the Republic.
In the center of the square is the monument to General Francisco de Paula Santander, who was instrumental in commanding the independence of Colombia in the year 1810, that was exactly completed in 1819. The position of this park as a monument to a general is discussed of independence taking into account that Bogotá is a very central area of the country and the Spaniards arrived from the coasts. It is because Bogota was a key area to wait for the adversary who arrived exhausted and to be able to attack it with greater ease, this was one of the factors that reflected the leadership and strategy of General Francisco de Paula Santander.
