construction of the city began not far from carmen's hill. following the spanish standards, a perfect squared layout with a central plaza (plaza mayor, today known as parque vidal) was developed. the first buildings erected were the cabildo (city council) and a modest palm tree church. this building was replaced in 1725 with a brick one. it was at the center of the parque vidal as catedral de santa clara de asís until august 22, 1923. it was torn down so that the plaza could be expanded. a new church was built nearby. this decision by the mayor is still criticized nearly a century later. although the church was not the finest architecture, it was one of the oldest colonial structures in the city and part of its fabric. after the expropriation by the mayor and city council, religious officials complained and the court awarded 77,850 pesos in fines as a settlement to the church. it was a considerable sum that would represent millions of pesos today.