Palacio Quemado, Presidential palace in Plaza Murillo, La Paz, Bolivia

The Palacio Quemado occupies the east side of Plaza Murillo. Its yellow neoclassical facade rises above a grey stone base, with white pilasters framing tall windows and wrought-iron balconies; a white balustrade tops the roofline, and a stone coat of arms sits at the centre. A domed stone tower adjoins the palace on the right. Inside, a glass-roofed courtyard has two tiers of white arcades with red-trimmed arches and a central crest in blue, yellow, red and green.

Construction of the current palace began in 1846 under General José Ballivián, who commissioned architect José Núñez del Prado; it took six years and four months and was inaugurated by President Isidoro Belzu on 25 March 1853. On 20 March 1875, rebels led by Carlos Ressini and Modesto Moscoso, unable to storm the building, threw torches from the cathedral, destroying the roof and interior. Restored from 1882, it became the official presidential seat in 1899 after the Federal War. It served as the presidency until 2018, briefly again in 2019–2020, and was restored as the executive seat in 2025.

The palace's name comes from the 1875 fire, not from any ceremony held inside. Its second courtyard once held the jail from which Pedro Domingo Murillo left for the gallows on 29 January 1810. In front stands the bust of Gualberto Villarroel, hanged from a lamppost by a mob in 1946.

The building sits next to La Paz Cathedral and welcomes visitors to explore its historical rooms and learn about Bolivia's governance. Tours are typically available and help visitors understand the spaces and their significance within the broader context of the nation.

The nickname dates from 20 March 1875, when a crowd led by Carlos Ressini and Modesto Moscoso could not storm the palace and threw burning torches from the cathedral instead. The fire destroyed the original roof trusses and brought down the third floor, leaving the building unusable.