A market place is any place where a market is established, whether it is open or covered.

In Ancient Greece, the agora was the term used to designate the public square of the Greek city-states (polis). It was an open space, the center of commerce (market), culture and politics of the social life of the Greeks.

In ancient Roman cities the forum "Forum (architecture)") was originally the term used to refer to the place in the city where the market was established. Later the forum was transformed into a public space with commercial, financial, religious, judicial and prostitution functions, in addition to being the place where Roman citizens commonly carried out their social life.

In Spanish and Latin American urban planning, the market square is known as Plaza Mayor - the others are called plazuelas - while in Muslim it corresponds to the bazaar. The tendency to cover open market squares responded to the hygienic ideals of the 19th century, and developed a particular architecture using the new possibilities of iron architecture. The concept does not apply so much to the new concept of shopping centers, typical of the end of the century and the beginning of the century.

In Anglo-Saxon culture, a market place is any town where a market is held, continuously or periodically, especially if it is important in a region or stands out for some reason from an agricultural, commercial or financial point of view; for example, those that celebrate a fair.

Anthropology's vision of market places is that of places where not only products are exchanged, but also information of all kinds and where personal and group ties are established and renewed.