Moneda Palace

The Moneda Palace (La Moneda)—the Mint in English—is located in the central area of Santiago, Chile. It is the symbol of political power par excellence, because that is where the office of the president of the nation is located.

Construction started in 1784, during the Spanish colonial administration, under the supervision of the Italian architect Joaquín Toesca. It was opened in 1805 as the colony's mint. Its style is neoclassical with some Roman doric influences. In 1846 President Manuel Bulnes moved the office of the president to the building. Minting did not stop, however; in fact, it continued until 1922, when new premises for the mint were built.

Between 1930 and 1934 the Moneda Palace underwent a thorough restructuring: A new wing, which doubled its size, was added on its southern side, and a third story was added on its northern side. During the September 11, 1973, military coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende, the palace was bombarded by the air force and entirely destroyed by rockets and fire. Reconstruction took eight and a half years.

The palace was partially remodeled again during the presidency of Ricardo Lagos (2000–2006). Also during his presidency an old tradition, suspended in 1969, was restored: Chileans could once again cross from Moneda Street to the Plaza de la Ciudadanía (from north to south) by walking along the palaces corridors and patios.

See alsoAllende Gossens, Salvador; Bulnes Prieto, Manuel; Chile: The Twentieth Century; Lagos, Ricardo; Santiago, Chile.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Collier, Simon D., and William F Sater. A History of Chile 1804–1994. Cambridge, U.K., and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Loveman, Brian. Chile: The Legacy of Hispanic Capitalism, 3rd edition. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

                                        Luis Ortega