Why do Mexicans call the town square the Zocalo?

Question

(I have read the Wikipedia entry but this is only one account of many I have heard, can anyone give me something definitive?)

Answer 1

Zócalo in Spanish means plinth or socle.

Mexicans call zócalo to their town squares (mainly in or by people from the center of the country) because in the times after independence there was a plinth in Mexico City's main square that was supposed to host a monument that was never built. So the plinth stood there a lot of time and people began to say: "I'll meet you at the zócalo" So there was no dout they were referring to the center of the town square.

Answer 2

A zócalo is a central town square or plaza, usually located in Mexican cities. The most famous Zócalo is that of Mexico City, which is formally known as the Plaza de la Constitución, The government district of Mexico City is known after this. Zócalos were often the original central squares of Mesoamerican cities that were coopted by the Spanish conquerors. The term zócalo is related to the Italian zoccolo meaning pedestal or plinth. Both zócalo and zoccolo ultimately derive from the Latin soccŭlus which is a dimunitive of another noun soccus meaning a type of clog

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zocolo

Answer 3

zo·ca·lo Pronunciation (skä-l)
n. pl. zo·ca·los
A town square or plaza, especially in Mexico.
[American Spanish zócalo, from Spanish, socle, from Italian zoccolo; see socle.]

Answer 4

for the same reason that you call it a town square, thats the word for it in thier language!