Guarding the entrance to the Ciudad Monumental from the Plaza Mayor is the 18th-century Arco de la Estrella (made wide for carriage access); pass underneath and onto the majestic Plaza de Santa María. The Arco was built by Manuel de Lara Churriguera on the site of its 14th-century predecessor. On the back is an image of its eponymous Virgen de la Estrella.
