La Moneda Palace

The palace is identified by its stark, neoclassical facade and the heavy iron gates that guard its central courtyards. Originally built in the eighteenth century to house the colonial mint, the building earned its name from the Spanish word for currency. On September eleventh, nineteen seventy-three, the palace became the final defensive position for President Salvador Allende during the military coup. Fighter jets strafed the roof and tanks surrounded the block, leaving the structure scarred by fire and bullet holes for years.