Admire the yellow paintwork, stately white columns andguards in period uniforms at the official headquarters of Bolivia’s president.
The offices of Bolivia’s president stand inside theneoclassical building of the Palacio Presidencial (Presidential Palace). Whilethe Plaza Murillo structure is closed to the public due to its active role inBolivian government, the palace still has plenty to offer visitors. Snap somephotos of the building, watch the changing of the guard before the front doorand see the statues of significant political figures around the area.
La Paz’s colonial-era city hall once stood where the PalacioPresidencial was built in the middle of the 19th century. Since an 1875 fire,the stately palace has been called the Palacio Quemado (Burned Palace). Studythe palace’s yellow façade, which features a long balcony across its secondfloor where many presidents have stood to give speeches. Crowning the very topof the building is the Bolivian coat of arms, featuring an Andean buzzardflying above it.
Guards stand at the Palacio Presidencial’s entrance clothedin red, white and black uniforms in a 19th-century style. These commemorate thesoldiers who fought against Chile during the War of the Pacific of the late 1800s.Watch the guards in front of the palace long enough and you may get to see thechanging of the guard.
Explore Plaza Murillo, the plaza abutting the palace, to seethe statues and other monumental buildings there. Visit the PalacioLegislativo, the square’s grandest building, to see where Bolivia’s lawmakersmeet. At the centre of Plaza Murillo is a statue of its namesake, Pedro DomingoMurillo, a revolutionary executed by colonial forces in 1810. A bust ofBolivia’s former president Gualberto Villarroel can also be found in thesquare. He was assassinated by his own people, who suspended his corpse from aPlaza Murillo lamppost.
Reach the Presidential Palace by taking a taxi or a sharedmini bus to Plaza Murillo. Otherwise, walk from anywhere in the city centre.Plaza San Francisco lies only a 10-minute walk to the west.
