The Palacio Presidencial (Presidential Palace) is animpressive structure’s structure onthe Plaza Murillo. With its neoclassical façade and changing of the guardceremony, this building is popular for taking photographs. Although theBolivian president works from elsewhere in this city, this is where thegovernment's administrative headquarters are located. View the building thenwalk through the plaza to see the grand statues of former Bolivian presidentsand famed military figures.
The faded yellow façade is notable for its columns,symmetrical windows and balconies that reflect the city’s colonial past. Lookto the top of the building to see the Bolivian coat of arms with a design that referencesthe history of the palace. Constructed in the mid-1800s, the palace was builton the site of the original 16th-century city hall. The current building wasalmost destroyed by a fire in 1875 and has since earned the name PalacioQuemado (Burned Palace).
Observe the short changing of the guard ceremony outthe front of the palace. The soldiers wear red 19th-century military uniformsthat pay homage to those who fought against Chile in the War of the Pacific(1879-1883). While the palace is not open to the public, visitorsare sometimes allowed to see the central courtyard.
After photographing the palace, take a walk in thesunshine around Plaza Murillo where many important figures from Bolivia’smilitary past are honoured. See the bust of Gualberto Villarroel who in 1946was taken from the palace, killed and hung from a lamppost. See the impressivestatue of Pedro Domingo Murillo, the namesake of the plaza, who was animportant figure during the war of independence. In 1810, Murillo was alsohanged. Walk around the square to see the other neoclassical buildings,including the Palacio Legislativo and the Cathedral CatedralNuestra Señora de La Paz.
The Presidencial PresidentialPalace is located in central La Paz, on the southern aspect of thePlaza Murillo. It is accessible by taxi or shared mini-bus from anywhere in thecity and is a 10-minute walk from the Plaza San Francisco.
