La Moneda Palace

Santiago, Chile

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La Moneda Palace, located in central Santiago, Chile, is the neoclassical seat of the Chilean presidency, originally built between 1784 and 1805 as the Royal Mint by Italian architect Joaquín Toesca using local limestone, river sand, and imported woods for its sturdy, rectangular design with thick walls over a meter wide.

Converted to government offices in 1846, it features grand courtyards like Patio de los Cañones and Patio de los Naranjos for ceremonies, facing Plaza de la Constitución and Plaza de la Ciudadanía, though it endured severe damage from aerial bombing during the 1973 coup against Salvador Allende and was meticulously restored to preserve Toesca's pure Italian neoclassical style. 

Today, free guided tours of its underground cultural center and select interiors offer insights into Chile's political history, while its white facade symbolizes national stability amid daily changing of the guard ceremonies.​