Government Palace La Moneda

This Historic Monument is one of the most important and attractive buildings in the country, and the symbol of the Civic Quarter of Santiago.

A little history…

Its original destination was to be the Royal Mint, that is the reason for its current name, its construction was carried out between 1784 and 1805, and was in charge of the Italian architect Joaquín Toesca.

Toesca could not see his work finished, because he died in 1799. His work was continued by the military engineer Agustín Cavallero. In 1805 and with some completions missing, Governor Luis Muñoz de Guzmán inaugurated the Royal Mint of Santiago de Chile, considered by some specialists as the best and most harmonious civil building in Colonial America.

The building has 40 rooms and in 1846, President Manuel Bulnes arranged to allocate a sector of La Moneda for the residence of the presidents, being the first president to live in the building. In 1958 President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was the last to live in the building. Currently the president of the republic only goes to work and has another residence. The Palace is organized around four interior patios and is built entirely with brick masonry and lime mortar.

The last great restoration that was made to it was due to the destruction caused by the military coup of 1973. This restoration culminated in 1981 and sought to restore Toesca's original conception.

What to see in La Moneda?

The Palacio de La Moneda can be visited from the outside and explore the surroundings such as the Plaza de la Constitución and Plaza de la Ciudadanía. On one side is the La Moneda Cultural Center., which is open from Monday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and has various and interesting art exhibitions and cultural activities.

To get here we recommend the Plaza de la Constitución stop of our Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus or the Santiago La Moneda Metro station (Line 1).

Web page: CCLM CL 

Entry: Free.

Location: Calle Moneda 1202 – 1298, Santiago.